Joshua Wong, face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, jailed for 10 years

What the report says

Joshua Wong, one of the best-known figures from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison under the city’s national security law, BBC World News reported. The ruling was handed down in Hong Kong, where Wong appeared in court after pleading guilty earlier this year to colluding with foreign forces. He is already serving time on other convictions and had been due for release early next year, according to the report.

The BBC said prosecutors accused Wong of working with other activists, including exiled campaigner Nathan Law, to press for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing in 2020. Wong, now 30, has spent years in and out of prison for activism that began when he was a teenager. He co-founded Scholarism in 2011 and later helped launch Demosisto, a party that was dissolved after the national security law was imposed in 2020.

The case is part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong since the law was introduced following mass pro-democracy protests. Critics argue it has sharply narrowed political space, while authorities say it is needed to preserve stability and autonomy. The BBC noted that Wong’s sentence adds to a growing list of high-profile prosecutions under the law, including the 20-year term given to former media tycoon Jimmy Lai.