Judge finds collusion grave
High Court Judge William Tam sentenced 30-year-old Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison on Thursday after Wong pleaded guilty in September to "foreign collusion" regarding efforts to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions or blockades against China. The judge described Wong’s actions as "grave in nature" and part of a "scheme" to supply underground support to arouse foreign attention. Wong worked with exiled activist Nathan Law to solicit hostile measures against China prior to the national security law’s introduction in 2020. Tam noted that Wong visited the US to seek foreign interference and shared social media posts from Law calling for sanctions after the law passed. Wong remains the only activist in Hong Kong to face two separate prosecutions under the national security law. He already serves a four year and eight month sentence for conspiracy to commit subversion, which he received in November 2024. This new sentence runs concurrently with his previous term.
Reactions to the verdict
I find this massive sentence a blunt instrument used to target political opposition. Wong, who gained fame during the 2014 Umbrella protests that paralyzed the city’s financial center and galvanized a generation of young people, wore a dark blue shirt and thick rimmed spectacles in court as he nodded and bowed to supporters. Dozens of people waited outside the court building amid heavy police presence and a group of international diplomats. Nathan Law said in a statement that it is incredibly sad to see his friend suffer another sentencing over peaceful advocacy work for democracy. Law added that the sentencing sends a signal that China is determined to quash any hopes for freedom and democracy on its soil. Amnesty International’s deputy regional director, Sarah Brooks, said the sentence is a grim reminder that the law punishes dissent rather than protecting national security. Wong previously appeared on the cover of Time magazine in October 2014 with the headline "The Face of Protest". When protests erupted in 2019 over a proposed extradition bill, Wong was serving a prison sentence for his role in the 2014 demonstrations but he left prison at the height of those protests to take to the streets. His existing term for subversion would have seen him released in January 2027.
