Ten countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, call for a halt to unfair prosecution of Joshua Wong after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Baek Na-ri = Ten countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, demanded an immediate end to unfair prosecutions in relation to the 10-year prison sentence for Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong (30).

According to the U.S. State Department on the 6th (local time), these countries issued a joint statement, citing Wong's ruling and criticizing that "the National Security Act is being used to target individuals for political expression and political participation."

He added, “All unjust prosecutions under the National Security Law must immediately stop,” adding, “We urge the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to abide by their international commitments and respect the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents guaranteed in the 1984 Joint Declaration between China and the UK.”

The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Japan participated in the statement.

Wong, a leading figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests 'Umbrella Revolution', was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of collusion with foreign countries under the National Security Act on the 5th. Wong was sentenced to prison on charges of illegal assembly and has been imprisoned since November 2020. He was scheduled to be released in January next year, but his incarceration period was extended with this ruling.