Judge Orders Joshua Wong To Serve Ten Years
The 30-year-old activist was convicted of foreign collusion for working with exiled ally Nathan Law to seek sanctions against China.
By Wyatt Cooper ·
A Hong Kong court handed Joshua Wong a ten-year prison term on Thursday for foreign collusion, marking his second conviction under the city's national security laws. Judge William Tam of the High Court ruled that Wong’s actions were grave in nature, finding that the activist conspired with exiled colleague Nathan Law to invite foreign intervention against China.
The timeline of Wong's legal troubles spans more than a decade. He first rose to prominence as a teenager during the 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations, which paralyzed the city's financial district. In 2019, he was released from an earlier sentence related to those protests and immediately rejoined the streets. The following year, Beijing enacted a sweeping national security law to restore stability. Wong was later convicted of subversion for his role in an unofficial primary election and sentenced to four years and eight months in November 2024.
In this latest case, prosecutors alleged that Wong visited the United States before the 2020 law took effect to seek foreign interference. After the law was enacted, he continued to share social media posts by Law calling for sanctions, blockades, or other hostile measures. Judge Tam stated that Wong’s role was to supply underground support and arouse the attention of foreign countries to bolster the cause. Wong submitted his guilty plea in September.
Tam ordered that the new ten-year sentence run concurrently with the remainder of Wong's previous term. Wong had been due for release in January 2027 after serving nearly six years in detention. As the sole activist in Hong Kong to be prosecuted twice under the national security law, Wong’s case has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups.
In a statement after the ruling, Nathan Law described the outcome as incredibly sad for his friend. Law said the sentencing signaled that China is determined to quash any hopes for freedom and democracy on its soil. Sarah Brooks, deputy regional director for Amnesty International, called the sentence a grim reminder that the law has become a tool to punish dissent rather than protect national security.
Wong appeared in court wearing a dark blue shirt and thick-rimmed spectacles. He nodded and bowed as supporters waved from outside the building, where dozens had waited in line amid a heavy police presence. International diplomats also attended the hearing to observe the proceedings.
The former student leader is now 30 years old. He gained global attention in October 2014 when Time magazine featured him on its cover with the headline The Face of Protest. Critics of the national security law argue it has been used to target political opposition, dissolve civil society groups, and silence independent media in the former British colony.
