Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison for “collusion with foreign powers,” a move that marks a severe escalation in the ongoing crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement.
Mr. Wong, 30, had already served four years and eight months for subversion under the sweeping national security laws imposed by Beijing. Having been within two months of his expected release in January, he was dealt a crushing blow in June 2025 when authorities utilized the same legislation to levy fresh charges against him. The court accused the former student leader of soliciting foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China. After pleading guilty in September, he learned his fate on Thursday.
High Court Judge William Tam described Mr. Wong’s offenses as being of a “grave nature.” The judge revealed that he had initially considered a 13-year sentence but applied a reduction due to Mr. Wong’s guilty plea. While the 10-year term will be served concurrently with his previous sentence, it effectively ensures he will remain behind bars for years to come.
As he was led from the courtroom, a composed Mr. Wong offered thanks to his supporters, some of whom were visibly distraught. Tiffany Chin, a former colleague from the now-disbanded student group Scholarism, was seen in tears as the sentencing concluded.
The severity of the punishment has drawn sharp condemnation from human rights advocates. Kevin Yam, a Melbourne-based lawyer and prominent pro-democracy campaigner, labeled the sentence “absurd.” He drew a controversial comparison to a recent local case, noting that a pro-Beijing politician convicted of child abuse received only two and a half years in prison.
“So we’re saying that fighting for democracy is now more of a crime than paedophilia in Hong Kong,” Mr. Yam stated. He argued that Judge Tam’s rhetoric regarding the “community’s abhorrence” of the acts was merely a reflection of Beijing’s will, rather than the true sentiment of the Hong Kong public.
The prosecution’s case centered on Mr. Wong’s long history of international advocacy. Prosecutors pointed to his meetings with high-profile United States politicians, including Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio, in 2016 and 2019. They alleged that these efforts to lobby for democratic self-determination were intended to endanger national security.
Mr. Wong’s legal team had urged the court for leniency, emphasizing his desire to care for his aging parents upon his eventual release. However, the ruling signals a hardening stance by authorities against the figure who first rose to global prominence as the face of the 2014 Umbrella Movement. For his supporters, the sentence is a stark reminder of how significantly the landscape for dissent has shifted in the years since the national security law took effect.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only.
Source: Read Original News
