Joshua Wong jailed 10 years in second security case
HKFP · 5 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Joshua Wong was sentenced by the High Court on Thursday to 10 years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, his second conviction under Hong Kong's national security law. Judge William Tam ruled that the offence was of a “grave nature,” triggering a sentencing threshold of at least 10 years under the law. Wong had already been serving four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion in the “Hong Kong 47” case, and the court ordered the remaining two months and two days of that sentence to run concurrently with the new term. The ruling means the 30-year-old's expected release is pushed back from January 7 next year to late 2036, unless remission is granted.
Key Points
- The High Court had listed sentencing for 9.30am on Thursday after a court diary update on Tuesday, with the hearing expected to last about 30 minutes
- Wong pleaded guilty in September to conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others in 2020 to seek foreign sanctions and hostile acts.
- Judge William Tam said Wong and his associates used overseas connections, social media and Western news agencies to promote foreign interference
- Wong was already due to finish his earlier four-year, eight-month subversion sentence on January 7 next year before this second case proceeded.
- Foreign consuls attended the hearing, media crowded outside the High Court, and dozens of police officers were deployed around the premises.
Why It Matters
The sentence extends one of Hong Kong's best-known pro-democracy figures' imprisonment by about a decade beyond his previously scheduled release, underscoring the severe penalties available under the national security law. For Hong Kong readers, the case also shows how a second national security prosecution can materially lengthen time in custody even for a defendant already serving a major sentence.