Hong Kong sentences Joshua Wong to 10 years, extending his imprisonment to 2036
Hong Kong’s High Court sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison for conspiring to collude with foreign forces, after he pleaded guilty. The sentence follows an earlier four-year, eight-month term; the court ordered the remaining two months and two days of that sentence to run concurrently, putting his expected release in late 2036, according to the Financial Times.
Bottom line — Wong, 30, is now expected to remain in prison until late 2036.
Go deeper 6
-
Judge William Tam set 13 years as the starting point and reduced the term to 10 because Wong pleaded guilty, the Associated Press reported.
-
Prosecutors said Wong and Nathan Law sought foreign sanctions and other measures against Hong Kong and China.
-
The court said Wong continued advocacy through social media and news outlets after Beijing imposed the national security law, the Financial Times reported.
-
Wong had been due for release in January, after serving a sentence linked to an unofficial pro-democracy primary.
-
Human Rights Watch called the sentence “cruel and unjust” and urged foreign governments to impose targeted sanctions, Euronews reported.
-
Hong Kong police welcomed the ruling; Chief Superintendent Steve Li said Wong should reflect on his actions, according to the Associated Press.
www.instagram.com