Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison In Second National Security Case

Prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday in his second conviction under Beijing's national security law, adding to his existing prison term in a case linked to Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

The 30-year-old activist was convicted of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, an offence under the national security legislation imposed by Beijing. Wong was charged in 2025 and pleaded guilty to the offence in September, a move that can typically help reduce a sentence.

Wong is already serving a four-year and eight-month prison sentence for his involvement in a separate national security case linked to an unofficial primary election organised by Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp. That case was the city's largest prosecution under the national security law.

His latest sentence comes as critics argue that prosecutions under the legislation have severely restricted political opposition and weakened Hong Kong's once-active pro-democracy movement.

Before the latest prosecution, Wong had been expected to complete his existing prison term and be released in January 2027. However, the 10-year sentence in the foreign collusion case is expected to extend his imprisonment considerably.

Wong rose to prominence as one of the leading faces of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, particularly during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the mass anti-government demonstrations in 2019. His repeated prosecutions have drawn international attention to Beijing's national security legislation and its impact on political freedoms in the former British colony.