Hong Kong Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Under Security Law

Sentence and earlier imprisonment

Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to the latest charges earlier in September. He was already serving time for subversion and had been due for release early next year.

During the sentencing hearing, Wong greeted people in the public gallery and occasionally took notes as the judge explained the decision. He has been imprisoned several times over activism that began when he was a teenager.

Prosecutors’ allegations

Prosecutors said Wong worked with other campaigners, including Nathan Law, to seek foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing. Law is an activist living in exile. Wong and Law helped establish Demosisto, a pro-democracy party that has since ceased to exist. The conviction was under Hong Kong’s national security law.

A movement’s prominent figure

Wong co-founded the student activist group Scholarism in 2011, when he was 14. The group grew rapidly in size and influence. By 2014, he was a leading figure in the civil disobedience campaign known as the Umbrella Movement. He became one of the best-known representatives of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, which has since been suppressed.

Debate over the security law

Critics argue that the sweeping law has stifled dissent. Hong Kong authorities say it is necessary for stability and reject claims that it has diminished the city’s autonomy.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director of an organization not identified in the report, said the sentence was part of a wider political crackdown. She told the BBC that authorities appeared to be bringing multiple charges against influential pro-democracy figures to limit dissent and reduce international reaction.