Joshua Wong receives 10-year sentence in Hong Kong national security case
The 30-year-old activist will serve his new term concurrently with an existing sentence, reducing his remaining time in custody to roughly two months.
By Harvey Wilson ·
Joshua Wong will spend approximately two additional months in a Hong Kong prison before his release. On Thursday, a judge sentenced the 30-year-old activist to 10 years behind bars for his second conviction under the city's national security law. The court ruled that the new sentence runs concurrently with the four-year, eight-month term Wong is already serving. This decision shortens his expected release date from January 2027 to late November 2026.
Wong entered a guilty plea in September 2025 to the charge of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. Prosecutors alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law agreed to lobby international leaders to secure democratic self-determination for Hong Kong. The case centers on meetings Wong held with U.S. politicians, including Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio, in 2016 and 2019. Authorities argued that Wong used foreign media and social platforms to push for sanctions against China and Hong Kong after the security law took effect.
The legal process began with Wong's initial arrest in the city's largest national security case linked to an unofficial primary election. He pleaded guilty in that matter and began serving a four-year, eight-month sentence. Before the current collusion charge was filed, officials projected his freedom in January 2027. The new conviction adds a decade of punishment, but the concurrent ruling means the longer term dictates his actual release date.
Judge William Tam stated during the hearing that the offense was grave in nature. He rejected the defense argument that Wong's role was limited. Tam explained that he initially considered a 13-year sentence but reduced the figure because Wong pleaded guilty. The judge emphasized the severity of the conduct while acknowledging the plea bargain's impact on the final duration.
Wong's attorney, Derek Chan, asked the court to impose a sentence that would allow his client to care for his parents after release. Friends noted that Wong spent his nearly six years in incarceration reading, exercising, and teaching himself guitar. Supporter ET Wong described the activist as possessing big-picture thinking that surpassed many adults when he was a teenager. She stated that in her heart, he should not have spent a single day in what she called wrongful imprisonment.
The sentencing follows a period of intense crackdowns on Hong Kong's civil society. Since the 2019 protests, authorities have reduced public choice in elections and arrested prominent leaders. Dozens of civil society groups have dissolved, and several news outlets critical of the government have shut down. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the national security law allows authorities to keep specific political prisoners in jail if deemed necessary.
Beijing views Wong as an anti-China figure who supports Hong Kong independence. The security bureau maintains that the law is essential for stability and that law enforcement actions are evidence-based. A pro-Beijing newspaper recently criticized a 2017 Netflix documentary about Wong for beautifying his crimes. The security bureau said it was taking follow-up action, yet the film climbed to the top of Netflix's popular chart in Hong Kong.
Wong left the court calmly and thanked his supporters. Tiffany Chin, a former member of the disbanded group Scholarism which Wong led, was seen in tears outside the building. The next step in the process involves the formal handover of Wong to his release facility, where he will complete the remaining portion of his concurrent sentences.
