Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in Hong Kong national security case

A Hong Kong court sentenced activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison on Thursday. The Guardian, France 24, BBC News and Al Jazeera all report the sentence. France 24 cites a court summary.

Wong, 30, pleaded guilty in September to foreign collusion under the national security law. The Guardian says he was accused of working with exiled activist Nathan Law to urge foreign governments to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures on China. France 24 describes the charge as seeking foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China.

This is Wong's second conviction under the law. The Guardian says he is the only activist in Hong Kong prosecuted twice under it, and that he has been jailed since 2020. France 24 says he has spent nearly six years in prison and calls the new term "10 more years." The reports do not say how the two sentences interact.

BBC News says Wong is among hundreds of Hongkongers detained under the law. The Guardian says critics argue the law has been used to silence political opposition. Wong first rose to prominence as a teenager during the 2014 pro-democracy protests.