Joshua Wong, a key figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, has been sentenced to 10 additional years in prison for colluding with foreign forces. The 30-year-old activist, who has already served six years, will now face a decade-long sentence under Beijing's national security law. The ruling underscores a continued crackdown on dissent in the city.
Wong, who co-founded the pro-democracy group Scholarism in 2011, was previously sentenced to four years and eight months for subversion. He was set to be released in January but was recharged in June 2025 for lobbying foreign governments to impose sanctions against Hong Kong and China. The court found him guilty of conspiring with activists like Nathan Law to undermine national security.
The sentencing highlights the ongoing suppression of Hong Kong's democracy movement, with critics arguing that the law has silenced dissent and erased a generation's contributions. Human Rights Watch called the ruling 'cruel and unjust', while authorities maintain the law is necessary to maintain stability. Wong's case is part of a broader pattern of political crackdowns in the city.
Rights groups and activists have criticized the sentence as a deliberate effort to keep Wong incarcerated, noting the contrast with other cases where similar crimes resulted in lighter sentences. Wong's activism, which began in his teens, has been a symbol of resistance against Beijing's growing control over Hong Kong.