Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years for foreign collusion under Hong Kong’s national security law

Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law, extending the imprisonment of the city’s most recognisable pro-democracy activist.

Wong, who is 30 years old, pleaded guilty to the charge in September. He is already serving a prison sentence for conspiracy to commit subversion related to an unofficial primary election, and is the only activist in Hong Kong prosecuted twice under the NSL. He had been due to be released in January 2027.

Dozens of people queued outside the court for hours hoping to secure a seat in the public gallery, amid a heavy police presence. Wong wore a dark blue shirt and nodded in greeting towards supporters in the packed courtroom. A group of international diplomats were present for the sentencing. High Court judge William Tam considered a 13-year prison sentence as a starting point but reduced it to 10 because of Wong’s guilty plea and mitigation.

The collusion charge

Wong was accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law to lobby for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing. The colluding activities took place between July and late November 2020, the court heard. Tam said Wong had visited the US to seek foreign interference ahead of the NSL’s introduction and continued sharing Law’s social media posts calling for sanctions after the law was enacted. The judge described Wong’s actions as grave in nature and said his role was to supply underground support and arouse the attention of foreign countries to bolster the cause. Two months and two days of the term will be served concurrently with his ongoing sentence.

International condemnation and Beijing’s defence

The US consulate in Hong Kong strongly condemned the sentence and called for Wong’s immediate release, saying he had been unjustly imprisoned since December 2020. Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, Elaine Pearson, described the sentence as cruel and unjust, saying the Hong Kong government puts behind bars young people who are an asset to any vibrant society. Amnesty International’s Sarah Brooks criticised the NSL as a tool to punish dissent rather than to genuinely protect national security. Taiwan criticised what it called the endless political persecution of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists through its top China policy body. Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun warned against irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong’s judicial affairs, calling on relevant parties to respect China’s sovereignty and Hong Kong’s legal system. Chief executive John Lee said Wong and Law were among the primary culprits responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.

From teenage activist to repeated NSL defendant

Wong co-founded the pro-democracy student group Scholarism in 2011 at the age of 14. The following year, Scholarism rallied more than 100,000 people to protest against mandatory patriotic education in schools, forcing authorities to back down. He rose to prominence as the teenage face of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, which paralysed the city’s financial centre, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine in October 2014 under the headline “The face of protest.” In 2016, he co-founded the political party Demosisto with Nathan Law and Agnes Chow, who is now in exile. Demosisto disbanded in 2020, the year Beijing imposed the NSL on the city. Wong was barred from running for a seat in Hong Kong’s legislature, with authorities citing his opposition to the NSL. He has been in prison since 2020. In February 2021, he was among 47 people charged with conspiracy to commit subversion, the largest prosecution so far under the NSL. His previous prison term of four years and eight months was imposed in November 2024. The harshest NSL sentence so far was handed to former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, jailed for 20 years for colluding with foreign forces.

Frances Hui, Wong’s friend and fellow activist now based in the US, said she was heartbroken and outraged by the verdict. “Today’s sentencing is not just about Joshua. It is part of a broader political crackdown that seeks to rewrite a chapter of Hong Kong’s history and erase the contributions of an entire generation who believed they could shape the future of their city,” she said.