Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years under Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for colluding with foreign forces under the territory’s national security law, in a case centred on efforts to lobby for sanctions and other measures against Beijing.

Wong, 30, pleaded guilty in September. Prosecutors said he conspired with other campaigners, including self-exiled activist Nathan Law, in activities carried out between July and late November 2020. Two months and two days of the new sentence will run concurrently with his existing term, the judge said.

Wong has been in custody for six years and is already serving a 56-month sentence for subversion. He was due to be released early next year before the latest charges were brought. He has also previously been imprisoned over his role in protests.

A prominent figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement since his teenage years, Wong co-founded the student group Scholarism and later the political party Demosisto with Law and Agnes Chow. Demosisto disbanded in 2020, the year Beijing imposed the security law.

The law was introduced after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. Critics say it has silenced dissent; Hong Kong authorities say it is needed to maintain stability and deny that it has weakened the city’s autonomy.

The 10-year term is not the harshest imposed under the law. Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years for colluding with foreign forces.