Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in Hong Kong collusion case

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Thursday, 5 November, for foreign collusion, AFP reported. The sentence extends his imprisonment beyond the roughly six years he had already served; the BBC reported that two months and two days will run concurrently with his existing term.

How Wong’s new sentence affects his existing term

Before the ruling, Wong had been expected to leave prison in January after serving a four-year-and-eight-month sentence for subversion, according to AFP. The new term therefore changes the outlook for a release that had been approaching. The BBC’s account of the concurrent portion explains how the two sentences overlap: two months and two days of the 10-year term are to be served at the same time as the existing sentence. The reports do not give a revised release date.

What prosecutors said Wong did

Prosecutors said Wong and other campaigners, including Nathan Law, conspired to lobby for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing. The BBC reported that the alleged activity took place from July to late November 2020. This account describes the prosecution’s case; Wong’s September guilty plea to collusion is reported by AFP.

Hong Kong’s national security law context

Hong Kong’s national security law was imposed in 2020, after pro-democracy protests. Authorities say the law is needed to maintain stability, while critics say it has silenced dissent, the BBC reported. Wong’s sentence is a major consequence for a prominent pro-democracy campaigner, under a law whose purpose and effects remain sharply contested.

AFP also reported that Wong’s friend Louis Lee said Wong remained energetic in prison and was sometimes worried and nervous about sentencing. The sentence now lengthens the period Wong faces in custody beyond the term that had been due to end in January.