Hong Kong court hands activist Joshua Wong a ten‑year prison term for foreign‑collusion charge

On Thursday, Hong Kong’s High Court sentenced activist Joshua Wong to ten years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to a charge of colluding with foreign forces under the city’s national security law. Judge William Tam described the conduct as a “grave” scheme to seek foreign interference, noting Wong’s alleged trips to the United States and his social‑media activity supporting calls for sanctions against China.

Wong, who first rose to prominence during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, is already serving a four‑year‑eight‑month term for a separate subversion conviction handed down in November 2024. The judge ordered that two years and two days of the new sentence run concurrently with the existing term, meaning Wong will remain incarcerated for a total of roughly twelve years from the date of sentencing.

The court hearing was attended by a crowd of supporters who queued for hours outside the building, as well as a contingent of international diplomats. Wong entered the courtroom in a dark‑blue shirt and black‑rimmed glasses, nodded to the public gallery and took notes while the judge read the sentencing remarks.

Nathan Law, a self‑exiled Hong Kong activist mentioned in the prosecution’s case, issued a statement calling the verdict “incredibly sad” and saying it signals a determination to suppress democratic aspirations. Amnesty International’s deputy regional director, Sarah Brooks, described the sentence as “another grim reminder of how Hong Kong’s national security law has become a tool to punish dissent.”

Authorities maintain that the national security law, introduced in 2020, is necessary to preserve stability, while critics argue it has been used to curb political opposition. The sentencing adds to a broader pattern of prosecutions under the law, which has drawn international attention and concern over Hong Kong’s autonomy and civil liberties.