Joshua Wong Sentenced to 10 Years, Held Until 2036

Hong Kong’s High Court sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces over efforts to seek sanctions against China and Hong Kong. The term was reduced from a 13-year starting point and is expected to keep him imprisoned until about November 2036; Wong was already serving a sentence for subversion and has been in custody since 2020. He is the only person prosecuted twice under Hong Kong’s national security law. Hong Kong and Beijing defended the ruling as a proportionate response to a grave offense, while the United States, United Kingdom, Taiwan and human-rights groups condemned it as political persecution and called for his release.