Wong Gets 10-Year Term in Hong Kong

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong received a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday for his second conviction under the city's national security law. Judge William Tam delivered the ruling in a case that critics describe as part of a sustained crackdown on the region's pro-democracy movement.

The charges stemmed from a 2025 indictment for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. Wong pleaded guilty to the offense in September, a legal move that typically results in a reduced sentence. He was 30 years old at the time of sentencing.

Wong is already serving a four-year, eight-month term for a separate national security case linked to an unofficial primary. He entered a guilty plea in that earlier case and was originally scheduled for release in January 2027. The new conviction extends his time behind bars, with the judge ruling that the two sentences will be served concurrently. This decision means Wong has approximately two months remaining on his previous term before the new 10-year count takes full effect.

During the hearing, Judge Tam described the offense as grave. He rejected the defense argument that Wong's role was limited. The judge stated he considered a 13-year sentence as a starting point but lowered the final term because of Wong's guilty plea.

Wong appeared calm as he left the court. He thanked his supporters, who waved to him outside. Tiffany Chin, a former member of Scholarism, a group Wong once led, was in tears during the proceedings.

The prosecution alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law agreed in or around 2016 to lobby internationally for democratic self-determination. Officials said the pair called for sanctions and other adverse measures against Hong Kong and China before the security law was introduced. The case cited Wong's meetings with U.S. politicians Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio in 2016 and 2019. After the law's enactment, the prosecution said Law advanced the work abroad while Wong supported the effort from Hong Kong via foreign media and social media.

Beijing has long viewed Wong as an anti-China figure who supports Hong Kong independence. Hong Kong authorities maintain that the security law is essential for stability following the 2019 protests and that their law enforcement actions were evidence-based. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, noted that national security charges can be repeatedly used to keep specific political prisoners in jail if the government deems it necessary.

Wong's lawyer, Derek Chan, urged the court to impose a sentence that would give his client some hope. Chan added that Wong wishes to take care of his parents after his release. Friends said Wong spent his nearly six years in prison reading, exercising, and teaching himself guitar.

Supporters view Wong as a political star representing a younger generation born in the final years of British colonial rule. ET Wong, a resident, said that as a teenager, Joshua Wong possessed big-picture thinking that some adults might not have. She stated that in her heart, he should not have spent a single day in wrongful imprisonment.

Despite his confinement, Wong's influence remains a concern for the pro-Beijing camp. In September, a pro-Beijing newspaper criticized a 2017 Netflix documentary about Wong for beautifying his crimes. The city's security bureau told local media the government was taking follow-up action. The documentary subsequently rose to the top of Netflix's popular chart in Hong Kong.