Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Sentenced to 10 Years for Foreign Collusion

Hong Kong High Court Judge William Tam sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison on November 5, 2026, after Wong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces or external elements to endanger national security.

Wong, now 30, has been in custody since November 2020. He was already serving a four-year-and-eight-month sentence for subversion in the city's largest national security case and had been due for release in January 2027. The new term runs concurrently for two months and two days with the remaining portion of that earlier sentence. He is not expected to leave prison until late 2036, when he will be 40.

Tam set a starting point of 13 years, the statutory minimum for a grave offence under Article 29 of the National Security Law, then reduced it by three years for the guilty plea and mitigation. The judge described the offence as grave in nature. He said Wong and associates, including self-exiled activist Nathan Law, continued after the law took effect in June 2020 to call for foreign sanctions, blockades, or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong.

Prosecutors alleged the activity occurred between July and November 2020. Wong had visited the United States earlier to seek foreign measures and later shared posts by Law calling for sanctions. Tam rejected arguments that Wong's role was limited. The maximum possible sentence for the charge is life imprisonment.

Wong rose to prominence as a teenager during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. He co-founded the now-disbanded group Demosisto and later Scholarism. After the 2019 protests he faced multiple prosecutions. The National Security Law, imposed by Beijing in 2020, expanded the range of offences and reduced judicial independence in national security cases.

Outside the court, Chief Superintendent Steve Li of the police National Security Department said Wong had participated in social movements from a young age and hoped he would reflect on his actions. Nathan Law, speaking from exile, called the sentence evidence that China intends to suppress calls for democracy. The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong stated that the ruling showed Beijing would go to lengths to silence advocates of fundamental freedoms.

Human Rights Watch called the charges baseless and urged Wong's immediate release. Other figures, including Jimmy Lai, have received multi-decade sentences under the same law. The Hong Kong government maintains that the law restores stability and that the courts apply it according to evidence and statute.

Wong appeared calm during the hearing, thanked supporters, and left the courtroom. Supporters outside included former associates; some wept. The case is Wong's second conviction under the National Security Law. Two months of the new sentence will overlap with his existing term, leaving a net addition of nearly 10 years.

The sentencing closes one of the last high-profile cases involving a leader of the 2014 and 2019 protest movements still inside Hong Kong. Most other prominent figures have either been imprisoned for longer terms, left the city, or withdrawn from public activity.