Joshua Wong Faces Decade in Prison for Second Conviction
The 30-year-old activist was sentenced to ten years under Hong Kong's national security law, drawing sharp criticism from Washington and London.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Joshua Wong will spend another ten years behind bars.
The 30-year-old Hong Kong pro-democracy activist received the new sentence on Thursday after pleading guilty to foreign collusion. This verdict adds to a previous term that had already kept him in detention for six years. He is the first person to be prosecuted twice under the city's controversial national security law.
Government officials in the United States and the United Kingdom responded quickly to the ruling. A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office called the sentence a clear example of how the law targets political expression. The UK urged Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to honor the rights guaranteed in the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration. The US consulate in Hong Kong also issued a statement strongly condemning the additional sentence. A consular spokesperson noted that Wong has been unjustly imprisoned since December 2020 and called for his immediate release.
China reacted to the Western criticism shortly after the sentencing. Beijing warned relevant parties to stop making irresponsible remarks about judicial cases in Hong Kong. This exchange highlighted the diplomatic friction surrounding the activist's case.
Human rights organizations also weighed in on the verdict. Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, described the sentence as cruel and unjust. She stated that young people promoting social change are an asset for any vibrant society. Sarah Brooks, deputy regional director for Amnesty International, said the conviction punishes dissent rather than protecting national security. She pointed out that the new conviction comes mere months before Wong would have been eligible for release under his previous sentence.
Wong was scheduled to be released in January 2027. His case was mentioned in the UK's most recent Foreign Office report on Hong Kong. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the situation reinforced concerns about the broad application of national security legislation. The report was published last month.
Political figures from different parties offered their views on the outcome. Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith said Wong had stood up for a treaty that China had subsequently trashed. He argued that the UK government has done little to address the violation. Labour MP James Naish stated that Hongkongers in his constituency chose Britain for the freedoms Wong is defending. He said the government must show China that Britain will not tolerate the sentence.
Nathan Law, a fellow activist named as a co-conspirator in the case, called the sentencing a farce. Law said it was incredibly sad to see his friend suffer another sentencing for peaceful advocacy work. He added that China is determined to quash hopes for freedom and democracy in the region.
