The European Union has condemned China for imposing an additional 10-year prison sentence on Joshua Wong, the Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who became internationally known for his participation in the 2014 Umbrella Movement.
Joshua Wong, now aged 30, has already spent almost six years in prison. In November 2024, he was sentenced to four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. The case concerned his participation in the pro-democracy primary elections held in 2020, alongside 46 other opposition figures.
He has now been sentenced to another 10 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. The authorities accused him of working with exiled activist Nathan Law and others to persuade foreign governments and organisations to impose sanctions, blockades and other hostile measures against Hong Kong and China.
The latest conviction was brought under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law, which has been used by Hong Kong authorities to prosecute prominent figures from the city’s pro-democracy movement. Joshua Wong’s new sentence is to run concurrently with the remaining two months of his previous prison term.
The European Union has described the sentence as politically motivated and exceptionally long. It has repeatedly called on the Hong Kong authorities to respect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and the right to peaceful political participation.
Human rights organisations have also condemned the sentence. Amnesty International described it as another example of the use of national security legislation to punish peaceful political activism, while Human Rights Watch called for Wong’s immediate and unconditional release.
Joshua Wong rose to international prominence as a teenager during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, which saw widespread demonstrations calling for democratic reforms and greater political representation in Hong Kong. He later co-founded the pro-democracy political party Demosistō, which was disbanded in June 2020, shortly before Beijing imposed the National Security Law.
The latest sentence means that Wong faces imprisonment until 2036, when he will be around 40 years old.
Full statement by the EU here.
Newsroom
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