Joshua Wong, the former student‑activist who rose to prominence during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law.
The judge, after hearing that Wong had conspired with fellow campaigners, including exiled activist Nathan Law, to lobby for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing between July and November 2020, imposed the sentence. Two months and two days of the term will run concurrently with his existing 56‑month sentence for subversion.
Wong, who turned 30 last month, had already spent six years behind bars and was due to be released in January. The new conviction adds another decade to his time in custody.
He appeared in court in a dark blue long‑sleeved shirt, khaki trousers and black‑rimmed glasses, looking slimmer than in earlier public appearances. He nodded at the packed gallery and took notes as the judge read the reasons for his sentencing.
Outside the courthouse, a heavy police presence surrounded a crowd of Hongkongers who had queued for hours for a seat in the public gallery.
Human Rights Watch called the ruling “cruel and unjust,” while Hong Kong authorities defended the national security law as necessary to maintain stability and deny that it has weakened the city’s autonomy.
Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai remains the harshest‑sentenced figure under the law, having received a 20‑year term for collusion with foreign forces.
Wong’s friend Frances Hui, now based in the US, said she was “heartbroken” and “outraged” by the verdict, adding that the sentencing was part of a broader crackdown aimed at rewriting Hong Kong’s history and erasing the contributions of an entire generation of activists.
Wong’s activism began in 2011 when he co‑founded the student group Scholarism, which later grew into the pro‑democracy movement that staged massive protests against mandatory “patriotic education” in schools. He later co‑founded the now‑defunct party Demosisto with Law and Agnes Chow.
As the case continues, observers note that the national security law has already seen hundreds of arrests, with critics arguing it silences dissent while the government insists it protects the city’s stability.
Wong’s next steps remain unclear, but the sentence marks a significant escalation in Hong Kong’s crackdown on pro‑democracy activists.
