Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was charged with "conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security" under China's "Hong Kong National Security Law" and was sentenced to 10 years in prison at the Hong Kong High Court on Thursday (November 5).
Joshua Wong, who just turned 30 last month, has been imprisoned for different cases since the end of 2020 and has been in prison for more than six years.
He is serving his sentence for the "Democratic Primary 47 Case" and was expected to be released in January 2027. The newly added sentence of 10 years, of which 2 months and 2 days will be executed at the same time as the "47-person case".
This is the second case in Hong Kong in which Jimmy Lai, the founder of Next Media, has been charged with the crime of "colluding with foreign forces". It is also the second case involving Joshua Wong involving the Hong Kong National Security Law.
Some legal scholars are concerned that the case reflects that national security law charges may be "repeatedly used" to keep certain political prisoners in prison.
Sentence
BBC Chinese reporters saw on the scene that Joshua Wong appeared in court before the official sentencing.
Wong was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, khaki trousers, and black-rimmed glasses. He was thinner than before and had a fibrous face. When he appeared in court, he nodded to the gallery without smiling. From time to time, he looked carefully at the people in the gallery, and then nodded slightly to say hello. Observers took turns entering the venue to change players, briefly saying hello to Joshua Wong and then leaving.
The main public gallery was full, and spectators included Qian Shiwen, a former member of Scholarism, and social activist Lei Yulian, who were wearing black masks.
The presiding judge, Tam Yiu-ho, first explained the reasons for the sentencing before imposing the sentence. While the reasons for sentencing were read out, Joshua Wong wore headphones and took notes from time to time. Ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison, Joshua Wong calmly bowed his head after hearing the news.
The judge used 13 years in prison as the starting point for sentencing, and after considering the plea and plea, the sentence was reduced by three years to 10 years in prison, which is the minimum sentence for serious crimes. He also pointed out that the court pointed out that it was necessary for the defendant to collude to endanger national security to express society's disgust for this behavior, and the sentence must have a deterrent purpose.
Joshua Wong is serving his sentence for the "Democratic Primary 47 Case" and was expected to be released in January 2027. The newly added sentence of 10 years, of which 2 months and 2 days will be executed at the same time as the "47-person case".
The court emphasized that the national security law does not have retroactive effect, and the defendant was convicted based on his conduct after the law came into effect; however, when sentencing, behaviors and activities before the law came into effect can be considered as part of his criminal background to assess the seriousness and extent of the crime.
After the sentence was announced, some bystanders waved to Joshua Wong and said, "Waiting for you to come out." Qian Shiwen hugged his friends and cried. After the court was over, some bystanders stepped forward and wanted to shake hands with Wong, but Huang stopped him.
Tsang Kin-shing (A Niu), a former founding member of the Hong Kong Democratic Party and a social activist, told BBC Chinese after the verdict that there was no light sentence under the National Security Law. Joshua Wong will not be free until he is 40 years old. He feels very sad and helpless, and asked "how many decades are there in life?" He shouted to Joshua Wong from a distance: "Thank you for your hard work, Zhifeng, bear with it. I hope you can survive it."
Scholar: National Security Law charges can be "repeatedly used"
Li Enhao, a senior researcher at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law in the United States, said that from a technical perspective, Joshua Wong was expected to be released early next year if there were no new charges. Therefore, the new charges objectively provide a way to "prevent Huang from returning to the public eye for a longer period of time."
He believes that the procedure of the case is worrying. On the one hand, it reflects the Hong Kong government's eagerness to weaponize criminal prosecutions. If the government deems it necessary, national security law charges can be "repeatedly used" to keep specific political prisoners in prison.
On the other hand, many of the charges brought by the prosecution in this case related to conduct before the National Security Law came into effect. Li Enhao pointed out that the government did not hesitate to sacrifice the principle of due process and retroactively criminalize the conduct of political prisoners.
Observer: "It should not be just political prisoners who bear the responsibility."
According to local media reports, about 50 people lined up outside the court on the morning of the sentencing.
Before being sentenced, Louis Lee, a former member of Scholarism, expressed the hope that Joshua Wong could be released as soon as possible so that he could meet his family and friends as soon as possible and "live the life he so called." He said that he visited Joshua Wong in prison at the end of last month. He was "in good condition" and was curious about the world. He looked forward to receiving letters from friends, but he was also worried about his sentence.
Observer and housewife Ms. Huang told BBC Chinese that she had lined up outside the court as early as Tuesday afternoon.
Wearing a top with the words "Creating hope in ruins", she said she "watched Joshua Wong grow up" and said, "As a teenager, he is already eloquent, has his own ideas, and has an overall view of Hong Kong... He will lead a very difficult path for Hong Kong's future, human rights, and education, and may even put himself in jail."
She said she did not dare to predict the outcome, but only hoped for a fair and open trial. "No matter what the outcome is, it is good. Hong Kong people are willing to shoulder and bear it together. It should not be just political prisoners who bear the blame."
Cases and petitions
According to the Hong Kong National Security Law, the crime of "collusion" can be sentenced to more than 3 years to less than 10 years in prison, and those with "serious crimes" can be sentenced to more than 10 years to life imprisonment.
The charges allege that from July 1, 2020 to November 23, 2020, Huang Zhifeng conspired with Luo Guancong and other unknown persons in Hong Kong to request foreign or overseas institutions, organizations, and personnel to impose sanctions, blockade, or take other hostile actions against Hong Kong or China.
The prosecution case alleged that Joshua Wong and Law Koon-chong, the founding chairman of Demosisto Hong Kong, had conspired as early as 2016 to achieve the idea of "democratic self-determination" through international lobbying.
The case alleged that the two men had launched an "international campaign" before the "Hong Kong National Security Law" came into effect, demanding foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China, including participating in international lobbying on many occasions and attending the European Parliament's Human Rights Subcommittee. During their stay in the United States, the two met with local dignitaries, such as then-U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Pelosi), then-Senator Marco Rubio (Rubio/Rubio), etc. The two were accused of promoting the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
The bill, which took effect on November 27, 2019, authorizes the U.S. government to sanction individuals and organizations that violate human rights in Hong Kong, and requires the U.S. State Department to review annually whether Hong Kong still has sufficient autonomy to qualify for special trade status.
In addition to the physical meeting, the case stated that Joshua Wong and Luo Guancong had promoted multiple international joint signatures to request foreign countries to impose sanctions on the Hong Kong government and put pressure on the national security law, including asking the United States and others to stop supplying equipment to the Hong Kong police. The United States passed a bill from October to November 2019 to restrict the supply of tear gas or crowd control-related technology equipment to Hong Kong.
The "Hong Kong National Security Law" came into effect late at night on June 30, 2020. "Hong Kong People's Liberation Army" was disbanded and ceased operations on the same day, and Luo Guancong left Hong Kong.
According to the case, the two did not change their common intention after the "Hong Kong National Security Law" came into effect and continued to participate in the "international line." Among them, Joshua Wong posted on Facebook that he would not delete old posts, would not give up his political stance and opinions, would not give up fighting on the "international front", and would continue to seek support from the international community.
On the morning of June 6, 2025, Joshua Wong was arrested in Stanley Prison. He pleaded guilty on September 2, 2026.
In his plea for mercy, the defense lawyer Chen Zhenglong, SC, pointed out that Huang Zhifeng has been remanded since he was 24 years old. During the nearly six years in prison, he has fully reflected on his behavior and direction. The defense also pointed out that Huang wasted no time in prison. He has read more than 100 books and maintains a positive attitude. He hopes to take care of his elderly family one day when he is released.
From student leader to state security prisoner
Joshua Wong, who just turned 30 in October, has been involved in Hong Kong social movements for more than half of his life.
In 2011, the Hong Kong government is planning to implement the "National Education" policy in primary and secondary schools and plans to make "Moral Education and National Education Subject" a compulsory course. Only 14-year-old Joshua Wong and other middle school students spontaneously established Hong Kong's first middle school student political group, "Scholar People's Thought".
In 2012, he launched the "Anti-State Religion Movement" and organized a rally of about 120,000 people outside the Hong Kong government headquarters. He ultimately succeeded in forcing the government to temporarily shelve its policy.
After the success of the "Anti-State Religion Movement", he did not remain silent. In 2014, on the eve of the Umbrella Movement, Joshua Wong and other student movement leaders called on demonstrators to rush into the East Wing of the Hong Kong Government Headquarters, commonly known as the "Citizen's Square", triggering the Umbrella Movement. That year, he appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time magazine, titled "The Face of Resistance." He was also selected as one of the 25 most influential teenagers in the world.
In the eyes of the Beijing authorities, Joshua Wong has long been regarded as an "anti-China disruptor of Hong Kong". It is reported that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, also named Jimmy Lai, Benny Tai, and Joshua Wong as "extremely bad elements among the anti-China and disruptive elements in Hong Kong" when attending a seminar in 2021.
Luo Guancong, who was accused of being involved in the case, left Hong Kong before the National Security Law came into effect and is currently granted political asylum in the UK.
