Joshua Wong receives 10-year prison sentence for foreign collusion
The former student leader will serve his new term concurrently with his existing sentence for subversion, a decision that marks his second conviction under Hong Kong's national security law.
By Megan Parker ·
Joshua Wong, a 30-year-old former student leader, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for his role in a foreign collusion case.
Wong pleaded guilty to the charge in September after prosecutors accused him of coordinating with exiled activist Nathan Law to pressure foreign governments into imposing sanctions against China.
High Court Judge William Tam characterized the conduct as grave and part of a deliberate scheme to enlist foreign support. The judge noted that Wong traveled to the United States before the national security law took effect in 2020 and continued to amplify Law's calls for international sanctions after the law was enacted.
The new 10-year term will be served concurrently with the remaining portion of a separate four-year and eight-month sentence Wong received in November 2024. That earlier conviction was for conspiracy to commit subversion related to an unofficial primary election. Wong has been in detention for nearly six years and was scheduled for release in January 2027.
In a statement following the ruling, Nathan Law described the sentence as a signal that China intends to suppress democratic movements. He called the outcome incredibly sad for Wong's peaceful advocacy. Sarah Brooks, deputy regional director for Amnesty International, said the verdict demonstrates how the national security law functions as a tool to punish dissent rather than protect security.
Dozens of supporters waited in line outside the court building amid a heavy police presence, while international diplomats observed the proceedings. Wong appeared in a dark blue shirt and thick-rimmed spectacles, nodding to the crowd as he left the courtroom.
Wong gained international prominence during the 2014 Umbrella protests and appeared on the cover of Time magazine that same year. He was the only activist in Hong Kong prosecuted twice under the national security law, which Beijing introduced in 2020 to restore stability after the 2019 protests over an extradition bill.
Source: The Guardian
