A Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 more years in prison on Thursday, Nov. 5, for collusion with foreign forces under the city’s national security law, Euronews reported, citing AFP. Wong, 30, pleaded guilty.
Key Highlights
- Judge William Tam of the High Court handed down the sentence, Euronews reported.
- The court set a 13-year starting point and cut it to 10 years because of Wong’s guilty plea.
- Wong would not be released until late 2036, according to Euronews.
- Human Rights Watch called the sentence “cruel and unjust.” Chinese and Hong Kong officials defended it.
The Charge and the Court’s Reasoning
Wong was convicted of colluding with foreign countries and entities to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China, Euronews reported. Tam said Wong could have faced a life term.
The court called the offense “of a grave nature.” It described Wong and exiled activist Nathan Law as “two ring-leaders or masterminds” of a conspiracy to endanger national security, Euronews said.
Prosecutors alleged that, from July 2020 and over four months, Wong conspired with Law and others to urge foreign governments to impose sanctions or other hostile measures, Seoul Economic Daily reported. That outlet cited Reuters for the ruling.
Wong pleaded guilty in September. He said he never called for Hong Kong independence or regime change in mainland China, Seoul Economic Daily said.
A Long Time in Custody
Wong was serving 4 years and 8 months for conspiracy to subvert state power, after a November 2024 sentence tied to an unofficial 2020 pro-democracy primary. He had been due for release in January, Euronews and Seoul Economic Daily reported.
Authorities charged him again in June 2025, according to Euronews. He has been in custody since November 2020, and has been in and out of jail since 2017, the outlet said.
In a letter to the court, Wong said the new charge set him back to the beginning, Euronews reported. He wrote that his future would not be defined by events before 2020.
Reactions
Human Rights Watch urged foreign governments to “impose targeted sanctions” on responsible officials, Euronews reported.
Steve Li, a chief superintendent in Hong Kong’s police national security department, welcomed the sentence. He said Wong’s lobbying for sanctions was “futile,” per Euronews.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Wong committed the crime, Seoul Economic Daily reported. He urged Western countries to stop interfering in Hong Kong’s judiciary. That outlet noted its quotes were translated from Korean-language reports.
Taiwan’s top China policy body accused Beijing and Hong Kong authorities of using “authoritarian tools,” Euronews said. The Associated Press also reported that the U.K. government said the case illustrated how Hong Kong’s national security law was being used to target political expression.
Background
Wong rose to prominence during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, Euronews reported. Authorities say he began lobbying abroad in 2016 for a U.S. law backing Hong Kong’s democracy movement.
In February, media figure Jimmy Lai received 20 years under the same law, which drew international criticism, according to Seoul Economic Daily.
What Remains Unclear
Reports differ slightly on some details, including how the earlier sentence interacts with the new one. Euronews said Wong would not be freed until late 2036.
The United States strongly condemned the sentence and called for Wong’s immediate release, the Associated Press reported. We have not independently verified any claim in this article. The accounts of the allegations come from prosecutors and the court.
For more world coverage, see our report on the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta.
Sources: Associated Press (Nov. 5); Euronews / AFP (Nov. 5); Seoul Economic Daily (Nov. 5).