Joshua Wong Sentenced to Decade Behind Bars
The 30-year-old activist received a 10-year term for conspiring to collude with foreign powers, a charge that extends his time in custody beyond 2036.
By Larissa Shah ·
Joshua Wong will spend the next decade in a Hong Kong prison, according to a sentence handed down on Thursday. The ruling marks the second time the 30-year-old activist has been convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing. Critics view the verdict as evidence that the city continues to suppress its pro-democracy movement, while authorities argue the law maintains stability after the 2019 protests.
Wong pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. He was charged in 2025 with that offense. Judge William Tam stated that the crime was of a grave nature and rejected the argument that Wong played a limited role in the conspiracy. The judge said he initially considered a 13-year sentence but reduced the term because of the guilty plea.
Wong is already serving a sentence of four years and eight months for a separate national security case linked to an unofficial primary vote. He entered a guilty plea in that earlier case. Before this new conviction, he was expected to be released in January 2027. Judge Tam ruled that the two sentences will run concurrently. This decision means Wong has approximately two months left on his previous term before the new 10-year sentence begins to count fully.
The prosecution alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law agreed around 2016 to lobby internationally for democratic self-determination. The state claimed the pair called for sanctions and other adverse measures against Hong Kong and China before the security law took effect. The case cited meetings Wong held with U.S. politicians Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio in 2016 and 2019. After the law was enacted, the prosecution said Law continued these efforts abroad while Wong supported them from within Hong Kong using foreign media and social platforms.
Wong appeared calm during the sentencing hearing. He thanked his supporters before leaving the court. Tiffany Chin, a former member of the disbanded student group Scholarism that Wong once led, was in tears. ET Wong, a resident who knew Wong as a teenager, described him as having big-picture thinking. She stated that in her heart, he should not have spent a single day in wrongful imprisonment.
Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, noted that national security charges can be used repeatedly to keep specific political prisoners in jail. He said this demonstrates the authorities' determination to chill civic activism. Beijing views Wong as an anti-China figure who supports independence, a stance it considers a red line. Hong Kong authorities maintain that their law enforcement actions are evidence-based and necessary for the city's stability.
Wong's defense lawyer, Derek Chan, asked the court for a sentence that would give his client hope. Chan noted that Wong wishes to care for his parents after his release. Friends said Wong spent nearly six years in prison reading books, exercising, and teaching himself guitar. They said he matured in his thinking during his time behind bars.
Wong represents a younger generation born in the final years of British colonial rule before the city returned to China in 1997. His influence remains a concern for the pro-Beijing camp even while he is incarcerated. In September, a pro-Beijing newspaper criticized a 2017 Netflix documentary about Wong for beautifying his crimes. The city's security bureau said it was taking follow-up action. The documentary subsequently rose to the top of Netflix's popular chart in Hong Kong.
