10 years for Joshua Wong, and likely no release until 2036
The Hong Kong democracy activist's second national security conviction overturns an expected January release. He is now likely to remain imprisoned until 2036 unless he receives remission.
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Nov 5, 06:00 UTC ·
738 words
Hong Kong's High Court sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison on November 5, 2026, for conspiring to seek foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China. [1][3]
Wong pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to collude with foreign forces. The case concerned efforts with exiled activist Nathan Law and others to persuade foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against the city and mainland China. [1][4]
Already in custody since November 2020, Wong had been expected to leave prison in January 2027. Hong Kong Free Press reported that the new sentence means he is likely to remain behind bars until 2036 unless he receives remission, a reduction in the time he must serve. [3]
It is his second conviction under the national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. [1][3]
Judge William Tam described the foreign-collusion offence as "grave". He set a starting sentence of 13 years and reduced it by three years because of Wong's timely guilty plea, according to Hong Kong Free Press. [3]
How the decade was calculated
Tam ordered the new term to run concurrently with the remaining two months of Wong's existing sentence. That means the terms overlap, rather than the new sentence beginning after the old one ends. With so little of the earlier term left, however, the order offers Wong little relief from the decade imposed on November 5. [3]
Wong's previous sentence was four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion. It was imposed in November 2024 in the prosecution widely known as the Hong Kong 47 case, which concerned an unofficial pro-democracy primary election held in 2020. [1][3]
That primary was intended to help democracy supporters choose candidates for legislative elections. The foreign-collusion prosecution concerned a separate course of conduct, including lobbying and efforts to secure foreign measures in 2020, according to the prosecution account presented to the court. [1][4]
Wong's guilty plea settled his criminal responsibility for the conspiracy charge. The political dispute centres on the decision to treat that advocacy as a national security offence and the severity of the punishment. Law and Amnesty International condemned the sentence, while Hong Kong authorities defend the law as necessary for stability. [1][3]
Hong Kong Free Press described Wong as the only person among those convicted in the Hong Kong 47 case to have been charged twice under the national security law. His imprisonment now spans two of the law's categories of offences: subversion and collusion with foreign forces. [3]
The detailed written judgment, whether Wong will appeal and any eventual remission remain unresolved. The reported 2036 release year is therefore an expectation, not a fixed release date. [3]
Two cases against a movement's best-known face
Wong became internationally prominent as a teenage figure in the 2014 Umbrella protests and went on to become one of Hong Kong's best-known democracy activists. His public role long predates the security law under which he has now been convicted twice. [1][2][4]
The contrast is stark: an activist who became known through mass protest is now serving sentences arising from electoral organising and appeals for international pressure. The second prosecution reaches beyond activity inside Hong Kong to efforts to enlist foreign governments. [1][4]
Beijing imposed the national security law in 2020. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts. Its introduction was followed by hundreds of arrests and the disappearance of dozens of civil society groups, according to Hong Kong Free Press. [3][4]
Condemnation and the authorities' defence
After sentencing, Law said Wong was being punished for peaceful democracy advocacy. He said the decision signalled a determination to extinguish hopes for freedom and democracy in China. Law was also named in the allegations concerning the efforts to secure foreign pressure. [1][4]
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's deputy regional director, said the sentence showed that the national security law had become a means of punishing dissent rather than genuinely protecting national security. [1]
Hong Kong authorities reject criticism of the law and say it restored stability and peace to the city, according to Hong Kong Free Press. Tam's assessment was that Wong's offence was grave and had aggravated the political crisis. [1][3]
Supporters waited outside the High Court for the sentencing. After hearing the punishment, Wong thanked them and waved. Some were in tears, according to Hong Kong Free Press. [1][3]
His eventual release will also depend on the rules governing sentence reductions. National security prisoners face a higher threshold for early release for good behaviour, Hong Kong Free Press reported. [3]
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- Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison in national security case | Hong Kong | The Guardian The Guardian
- Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong gets 10 more years in jail for foreign collusion - France 24 france24.com
- HK activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years for foreign collusion hongkongfp.com
- Hong Kong: Jailed activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to foreign collusion under National Security Law bbc.com