Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years for NSL foreign-collusion conspiracy; HKSAR/MFA back law enforcement, US consulate and Amnesty criticize. | China Day chinaday.news
Hong Kong's Court of First Instance on 5 November sentenced Joshua Wong (Wong Chi-fung) to 10 years' imprisonment for conspiracy to collude with foreign countries or external elements to endanger national security under the Hong Kong National Security Law. A Hong Kong government news.gov.hk release and Chief Executive John Lee's statement called Wong and Nathan Law among those primarily responsible for undermining the city's prosperity and stability, saying Wong continued after the NSL's enactment to act as an agent of foreign forces. BBC Chinese, The Guardian, AP and The New York Times reported that Judge William Tam found the offence 'grave in nature', starting from 13 years and reducing to 10 for the guilty plea entered in September; two months and two days run concurrently with Wong's existing conspiracy-to-subvert term. Prosecutors said he and Law conspired between July and November 2020 to lobby foreign powers for sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong. The HKSAR government welcomed the sentence. MFA spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the central government firmly supports Hong Kong in safeguarding national security according to law and urged relevant parties to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's legal system and stop irresponsible remarks on judicial cases. AP, BBC and The Guardian also quoted the US Consulate General in Hong Kong condemning the sentence and calling for Wong's immediate release, and Amnesty International criticizing the NSL as used to punish dissent. Wong, known from the Umbrella Movement, has been detained for years on NSL and other cases and had been due for release around January 2027.
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