Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong given another 10 years

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) was yesterday sentenced to 10 more years in jail for colluding with foreign powers, the second time he has been penalized under the territory’s National Security Law.

Wong, 30, is one of the most globally recognized faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and has already spent almost six years behind bars. He is not due for release until late 2036.

The US said his new sentence showed China would “go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate for fundamental freedoms” in Hong Kong.

Democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks at a news conference outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on Oct. 29, 2019.

Photo: EPA

Taiwan criticized the “endless political persecution” of Hong Kong democracy activists.

Beijing and the Hong Kong government use “authoritarian tools” to “fabricate charges ... engage in endless political persecution,” the Mainland Affairs Council said.

Western human rights groups also condemned the move, while Beijing declared support for Hong Kong “cracking down on acts that endanger national security.”

Wong was due to be freed in January after serving four years and eight months for subversion, under a national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the Chinese government.

However, Hong Kong authorities used the same law to charge him again in June last year, accusing him of collusion with countries and entities to have sanctions imposed on the territory and China.

Wong was potentially facing a life term, but the court decided “an appropriate starting point” to be 13 years, which was then reduced due to his guilty plea.

Wong said in his mitigation letter to the court that the new charge made him feel he was back to square one.

He added that his future would not be defined by the past, and that the years he has spent behind bars have been the “most profound lessons” of his life.

With a heavy police presence at the court, Wong entered the dock looking calm in a blue shirt and black glasses, nodding to supporters.

After the sentencing, Wong thanked and waved to them as he left. Some wept and were heard saying: “We’ll be waiting for your release.”

Wong initially rose to prominence during the “Umbrella movement” in 2014 and has been in and out of jail since 2017.

Authorities said he started international lobbying as early as 2016, when he promoted a bill that would allow the US president to impose sanctions over rights violations in Hong Kong.

During the 2019 marches, Wong was part of a delegation to the US to lobby for the bill, which eventually passed.

The following year, Beijing imposed the sweeping National Security Law on Hong Kong that quashed dissent, prompting opposition groups to disband and activists to flee Hong Kong.

At the time, Wong vowed to “continue to defend my home — Hong Kong — until they silence me.”

He was among dozens of pro-democracy figures jailed for subversion in 2024, in what was Hong Kong’s largest national security trial. Some have since been released.

Wong’s treatment showed there was “no scope for turning back to the more relaxed days before 2019,” before the National Security Law, SOAS China Institute director Steve Tsang (曾銳生) said.

“Seeking democracy should not be a crime, and young people should not have to sacrifice their freedom for their ideals,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in Taipei, adding that Taiwan would continue to stand with those defending freedom and democracy.

Human Rights Watch called the sentence “cruel and unjust,” and urged foreign governments to impose targeted sanctions on the officials responsible.

Nathan Law (羅冠聰), a fellow student leader in self-imposed exile and wanted by authorities, said it was “incredibly sad” to see Wong’s fate, and described the extra jail term as a “farce.”

However, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) defended it, saying Wong had an “utter disregard for the law.”

Margaret Chan, a 61-year-old retiree and a long-time supporter of Wong, said that she was “too heartbroken.”

Wong would be “in his middle age by the time he is released,” she said.

Housewife E.T. Wong, who is not related to Joshua Wong, said she cried when she heard about the sentence for someone who had “given his all” for Hong Kong.