Joshua Wong Gets Additional 10 Years for Colluding with Foreign Forces; Could Be 40 by Release

Joshua Wong, former secretary-general of Demosisto who is currently serving a sentence in Hong Kong's pro-democracy "35+ primary" case, was sentenced Thursday (Nov 5) by the Hong Kong High Court to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, and is expected to be released only in 2036.

The charge alleged that between July 1 and Nov 23, 2020, Wong conspired with Nathan Law, former chairman of Demosisto who has fled to the UK, and other unidentified persons to request foreign or overseas institutions, organizations and personnel to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile acts against the Chinese central government or the Hong Kong SAR government.

Designated judge under the Hong Kong National Security Law, Justice Alex Lee, said Thursday while reading the verdict that at the time of the offense, Hong Kong was facing the serious impact of social unrest and riots, and was under extremely high risk in terms of national security and the rule of law.

At this critical moment, the defendant and his contacts continued to conspire together, meeting directly with major or senior foreign officials or overseas forces, openly calling on them to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China, Hong Kong and officials, and also made similar calls through his own social media accounts and Western mainstream news media or institutions.

The judge considered that the defendant and Nathan Law were the masterminds of the case and could be regarded as the foremost advocates, and that the punishment must be commensurate with the seriousness of the offense and must express revulsion at the plan and conduct in order to achieve a deterrent effect.

The judge noted that, based on the defendant's guilty plea and mitigation, the court reduced the starting point for sentencing by three years and sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison, the minimum sentence required for a "serious offense" under Article 29 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, with two months and two days of that term to run concurrently with the sentence in the case he is currently serving, meaning Wong must serve an additional nine years and 10 months.

Wong had originally been due for release in January next year, but is now expected to serve until November 2036, and could be 40 years old by the time he is released.

The judge took an hour and a half to read the entire verdict, including a detailed account of the facts, and Wong was required to stand throughout.

He occasionally braced himself against the railing and frowned when he heard the 10-year sentence.

Some observers in the gallery hugged and wept after the court adjourned.

Wong, who just turned 30 last month, is a prominent figure in Hong Kong's 2014 "Occupy movement" and the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement.

This is his second sentencing under the Hong Kong National Security Law, and the latest case since the law took effect in which a well-known pro-democracy figure has been sentenced to long-term imprisonment for colluding with foreign forces.

Wong has been in prison since late 2020 on various cases and has now been behind bars for more than six years.

A Hong Kong government spokesman welcomed the court's ruling, saying the heavy sentence on Wong completely shatters the illusion that those endangering national security can evade legal accountability by wrapping themselves in the cloak of a so-called "international line" or "international advocacy," and demonstrates to the international community the Hong Kong SAR's firm determination to safeguard national security. "This sentencing shows that the court has determined that the case involves foreign forces, that the circumstances are serious, and that a deterrent sentence is required.

In addition, the SAR government will confiscate Wong's offense-related property in accordance with the law." The U.S.

Consulate General in Hong Kong strongly condemned the Hong Kong High Court's decision to impose an additional 10 years in prison on democracy activist Joshua Wong and called for his immediate release. "Joshua Wong has been unjustly imprisoned since December 2020, demonstrating that Beijing will stop at nothing—including extreme measures—to silence those advocating for basic freedoms in Hong Kong," a spokesman said.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement the same day strongly condemning and expressing concern over Wong's sentencing, saying the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government should stop suppressing and persecuting democracy activists through the courts and should protect the basic human rights and freedom of speech that Hong Kong people deserve.

Kong Wing-lok, a lecturer at the School of Government and Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told Lianhe Zaobao that Wong has considerable international prominence and had previously been clear and active in urging foreign countries to impose sanctions or other hostile actions on the Hong Kong SAR.

However, the Hong Kong court took into account his early guilty plea and good rehabilitation performance during his imprisonment and ultimately sentenced him to 10 years, which "is a reasonable decision in terms of both legal principle and sentencing." Kong said that from a political perspective, 10 years is a long cycle, and it is doubtful whether Hong Kong's younger generation will still have a deep awareness of Wong a decade from now, so his future influence will likely be very limited.

According to reports, Cheung Kim-hung, former publisher of Hong Kong's Apple Daily who testified for the prosecution in the Jimmy Lai case, and Chen Tsz-wah and Li Yu-hin of the Reclaim Hong Kong group, among others convicted in national security cases, were released early earlier.

Kong said this could influence some pro-democracy figures currently in custody and prompt them to change their political stance toward mainland China.