HONG KONG: Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday in his second conviction under Beijing-imposed national security law, in a case critics say reflects the crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement.
Wong, 30, was charged in June 2025 with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. He pleaded guilty in September 2026. He is already serving a four-year-and-eight-month prison sentence in the city's largest national security case, linked to an unofficial pro-democracy primary election. Before the latest case, he had been expected to be released in January 2027.
Judge William Tam described the offence as grave and rejected the argument that Wong's role was limited. He took 13 years as the starting point for the sentence before reducing it following Wong's guilty plea. The 10-year sentence will run concurrently with his existing prison term.
The prosecution alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law had agreed around 2016 to lobby internationally in support of democratic self-determination in Hong Kong. It also cited Wong's meetings with US politicians, including Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio, in 2016 and 2019. The conspiracy in the present case, however, was alleged to have taken place between July and November 2020.
Hong Kong authorities have defended the national security law, saying it is essential to maintaining stability following the 2019 protests and that its enforcement is based on evidence. Beijing regards Wong as an anti-China figure. (with inputs from media organisations)