H.K. democracy activist Wong handed 10 yrs in 2nd security conviction

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong received a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday for his second conviction under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The 30-year-old, who had been incarcerated since November 2020 for a separate subversion case, pleaded guilty in September to conspiring with other activists to collude with foreign entities.

The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a provision introduced in the national security law enacted in 2020. Wong is currently serving a four-year, eight-month sentence after being convicted of subversion in the city's biggest national security case in 2024. His new conviction has raised concerns about the Hong Kong government's continued crackdown on prominent opposition figures through prolonged detention.

The city's High Court ruled that Wong's actions, along with those of fellow activists, amounted to a very serious offense, as they persisted in their conspiracy despite the national security law's implementation. Wong, a prominent figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, led a protest against the proposed introduction of patriotic national education in schools in 2012 and was a key figure in the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 anti-government demonstrations.

In 2016, he co-founded the political party Demosisto alongside Law and other young activists. However, the party disbanded upon the law's introduction, with Law self-exiling to Britain shortly after. Wong expressed disappointment in a mitigation letter, stating that the new sentence has nearly brought him back to square one. Supporters of Wong gathered outside the court building days before the hearing, chanting for his release.

The sentence follows the reported early release of other high-profile national security case convicts, including Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, who was given a 20-year jail term for foreign collusion and sedition charges.