Joshua Wong Sentenced to 10 More Years in Hong Kong Prison
The 30-year-old activist becomes the first person prosecuted twice under the city's national security law, prompting sharp criticism from London and Washington.
By Robert Ward ·
Joshua Wong faces an additional decade behind bars after a Hong Kong court handed him a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday. The 30-year-old pro-democracy activist pleaded guilty to foreign collusion under the region's national security law. This conviction marks the second time Wong has been prosecuted under the statute, a legal framework critics argue silences political opposition.
The ruling draws immediate condemnation from Western allies. A UK Foreign Office spokesperson labeled the sentence a clear example of the law targeting individuals for political expression. The spokesperson urged authorities in China and Hong Kong to uphold the rights guaranteed by the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration. The United States consulate in Hong Kong also reacted strongly, demanding Wong's immediate release. The US mission stated that the case demonstrates Beijing's willingness to go to extraordinary lengths to silence advocates of fundamental freedoms.
Wong has already served six years in detention. He was originally due for release in January 2027. The new sentence extends his time in custody well beyond that date. Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, described the new term as cruel and unjust. She noted that young people promoting social change are assets to society, yet Hong Kong's government keeps them behind bars.
Sarah Brooks, deputy regional director for Amnesty International, added that the conviction arrived mere months before Wong would have become eligible for release under his previous charge. She said the outcome serves as a grim reminder that the security law functions as a tool to punish dissent. Nathan Law, a fellow activist and named co-conspirator in the case, called the sentencing a farce. Law stated that the decision signals China's determination to quash hopes for freedom and democracy on its soil.
In London, politicians from both major parties weighed in on the verdict. Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith argued that Wong stood up for a treaty that China had since trashed. He warned that British inaction when China breaks the rules worsens the situation. Labour MP James Naish urged the government to show China that Britain will not tolerate the sentence. Naish pointed out that constituents in his district chose Britain specifically for the freedoms Wong is now defending.
The sentencing occurs against the backdrop of the 1997 handover agreement. That treaty promised Hong Kong 50 years of one country, two systems, an arrangement intended to preserve local autonomy. The UK currently considers Beijing in violation of that agreement following the 2019 and 2020 protest crackdowns and subsequent legal reforms. The UK's most recent Foreign Office report on Hong Kong, published last month, cited Wong's case as evidence of the law's increasingly broad application.
