Hong Kong jails Joshua Wong for 10 more years, two months before his release date

A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison for conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the city's national security law, the BBC reported. Wong, 30, has been in jail since 2020 and was due to be freed in January 2027, so the new term adds roughly a decade to his time behind bars.

What the court said

Al Jazeera, drawing on AFP, AP and Reuters, reported that High Court Judge William Tam took 13 years as a starting point and cut it to 10 because Wong pleaded guilty, which he did in September. Prosecutors said Wong conspired with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others to lobby for foreign sanctions or blockades against Beijing. The BBC said the activity took place between July and late November 2020, and that two months and two days of the new term will run concurrently with the sentence he is already serving.

Wong is already serving time for subversion in the "Hong Kong 47" case. The harshest sentence under the law so far, the BBC noted, went to media owner Jimmy Lai, who received 20 years for the same type of offence.

Reactions

• Hong Kong government: Chief Executive John Lee said Wong and Law were "among the primary culprits responsible for undermining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability".
• Beijing: China's foreign ministry said it supports Hong Kong in safeguarding national security "in accordance with the law".
• United States: The US consulate in Hong Kong said it "strongly condemns" the sentence and called for Wong's immediate release.
• United Kingdom: A government spokesperson called for an end to "all unjust prosecutions" under the law.
• Taiwan: Its China policy body criticised "endless political persecution" of Hong Kong activists.
• Rights groups: Human Rights Watch called the sentence "cruel and unjust"; Amnesty International said the law has become "a tool to punish dissent".

Why business readers are watching

This is a legal and political story, and none of the reports we read tie the ruling to a market move, so we are not claiming one. The business relevance is indirect. Hong Kong's standing as a financial hub rests on how investors and companies judge its legal environment, and Western governments are again publicly criticising how the security law is applied. The Hong Kong government argues the opposite: that the law protects stability and prosperity. Any sanctions or policy response from Washington would be the next thing to watch. For the wider US-China business picture, see our coverage of China's block on the SoftBank-ABB robotics deal.

Sources: BBC News; Al Jazeera (AFP, AP, Reuters). AP, Reuters and Bloomberg headlines on the same ruling were also checked. This is news reporting, not investment advice.