Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 6: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law, extending his imprisonment by nearly another decade.
The 30-year-old activist was sentenced by the High Court in Hong Kong on November 5. Judge William Tam set a starting sentence of 13 years, subsequently reducing it by three years in consideration of Wong’s guilty plea and mitigating circumstances. The resulting 10-year sentence is the minimum term prescribed for an offence classified as being of a “grave nature” under the National Security Law.
The case concerned allegations that Wong conspired with exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law and others between July and November 2020 to lobby foreign governments, organisations and individuals to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong.
According to the prosecution, Wong continued supporting international lobbying efforts after the National Security Law came into effect on June 30, 2020, including by amplifying calls for foreign sanctions through social media and international media platforms. The prosecution alleged that Wong and his associates deliberately divided responsibilities, with Law conducting advocacy overseas while Wong supported the campaign from Hong Kong. Wong pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2026.
The new sentence comes as Wong is already serving four years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to commit subversion in connection with Hong Kong’s 2020 unofficial legislative primary election. He had been expected to be released in January 2027 after serving that sentence.
Under the latest ruling, two months and two days of the new 10-year term will run concurrently with his existing sentence. He is now expected to remain in prison until late 2036. The sentencing has drawn criticism from international governments and human rights organisations, which have raised concerns over the use of the National Security Law against Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
The United States condemned the sentence and called for Wong’s immediate release. A spokesperson for the US Consulate General in Hong Kong said the activist had been unjustly imprisoned since December 2020, adding that the case demonstrated Beijing’s efforts to silence those advocating fundamental freedoms in the city.
The United Kingdom also criticised the sentence, saying the case illustrated how the National Security Law was being used to target political expression. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, likewise condemned the additional prison term.
China, meanwhile, defended the judicial proceedings and cautioned foreign governments against making what it described as irresponsible comments on Hong Kong’s judicial affairs. Hong Kong authorities maintained that the sentencing followed fair and open judicial proceedings and was necessary to safeguard national security.
Wong rose to international prominence as a teenager during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, which saw mass demonstrations calling for greater democratic freedoms and genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong. He later became one of the most recognisable figures of the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests against a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed the transfer of criminal suspects to mainland China.
In 2016, Wong helped establish the pro-democracy political party Demosistō alongside Nathan Law and other activists. The party dissolved in June 2020, shortly before Beijing imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong.
Since the legislation came into force, authorities have prosecuted numerous pro-democracy politicians, activists and media figures. Critics argue that the law has significantly narrowed the space for political opposition and civil society in the former British colony, while Beijing and Hong Kong authorities maintain that it was necessary to restore stability and protect national security.
