Joshua Wong Sentenced: Ten Years for Collusion Charges
The 30-year-old activist receives a second national security conviction, reducing his remaining free time to less than two months before the sentences run concurrently.
By Ayanda Boateng ·
Joshua Wong, a 30-year-old Hong Kong activist, was handed a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday for his second conviction under the city’s national security law. The ruling adds to the four-year, eight-month term he is already serving, a result that effectively extends his time behind bars until January 2037 under the judge’s order for the sentences to run concurrently.
Wong had been scheduled for release in January 2027 based on his previous guilty plea in the city’s largest national security case. Prosecutors charged him in 2025 with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. He entered a guilty plea in September, a procedural step that typically results in a reduced sentence compared to a trial verdict.
Judge William Tam presided over the sentencing hearing. He described Wong’s offense as grave and rejected arguments that the activist’s role was limited. The judge stated he initially considered a 13-year sentence but lowered it due to Wong’s admission of guilt. Wong appeared calm during the proceedings and thanked his supporters before exiting the courtroom.
Supporters had gathered at the High Court well before the hearing began. Some members of the public queued starting Tuesday to secure seats in the gallery. Activist Lui Yuk-lin held a sign with Wong’s name during the line. Tiffany Chin, a former member of the disbanded Scholarism movement, was seen in tears outside the building.
ET Wong, a resident who waited for hours, spoke to reporters about Wong’s early career. She recalled his "big-picture thinking" during his teenage years. She argued that he walked a difficult path for Hong Kong’s future and human rights, stating, "At least in my heart, he should not have spent a single day in wrongful imprisonment."
The prosecution alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law agreed in or around 2016 to lobby internationally for democratic self-determination. They claimed the pair called for sanctions against Hong Kong and China before the security law was enacted. Specific meetings cited by prosecutors included interactions with U.S. politicians Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio in 2016 and 2019.
After the law took effect, the prosecution said Law and others continued their work abroad through meetings and petition drives. Wong supported these efforts from within Hong Kong by using foreign media and social media to draw attention to requests for sanctions or blockades against China.
Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, noted that national security charges can be repeatedly used to keep specific political prisoners in jail. He stated that this sentencing demonstrates the authorities' determination to maintain long-term detention of prominent figures. Beijing views Wong as an anti-China figure supporting independence, a stance that crosses its political red line.
Wong’s lawyer, Derek Chan, had urged the court to impose a sentence that offered hope for release. Chan added that Wong wishes to care for his parents after serving his time. Friends reported that Wong has spent his nearly six years in prison reading, exercising, and teaching himself guitar.
Wong’s influence remains a concern for the pro-Beijing camp even while he is incarcerated. In September, a pro-Beijing newspaper criticized a 2017 Netflix documentary about Wong for "beautifying" his crimes. The city’s security bureau told local media that the government was taking follow-up action. The documentary subsequently rose to the top of Netflix’s popular chart in Hong Kong.
