Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in jail

What the report says

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been given an additional 10-year prison sentence after a High Court ruling found him guilty of colluding with foreign entities under the city’s national security law. Al Jazeera reported that Wong, who has already been in prison since 2020, pleaded guilty in September and was sentenced by Judge William Tam in Hong Kong on Thursday. The court said it had considered a 13-year starting point before reducing the term because of Wong’s plea and mitigation.

According to the report, prosecutors accused Wong, 30, of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others to seek sanctions, blockades, or other hostile actions by foreign countries, bodies, or individuals outside China. The new sentence comes just two months before he had been expected to be released in January 2027. Wong was originally jailed over his role in the 2019 protests, which began as opposition to an extradition bill and developed into a broader pro-democracy movement.

The ruling drew criticism from governments and rights groups. The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong urged his release, while Taiwan and organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemned the case as political persecution and an example of the use of the national security law against dissent. As background, Hong Kong has used the law more broadly since 2020 to prosecute activists and opposition figures, though the scope and implications of such cases remain politically contested.