Former activist Joshua Wong was on Thursday jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign countries or external elements to endanger national security.

High Court Judge William Tam found the offence was of a “grave nature” under the National Security Law.

Judge Tam wrote that Hong Kong was in social turmoil after the anti-extradition protests, with national security and the rule of law facing high risks.

At that critical time, Wong, Nathan Law and their affiliates kept colluding with foreign officials and outlets to call for sanctions and hostile measures.

He noted the harm is “still subsisting”, as 14 officials remain on the sanctions list.

The court also took into account their persistence when considering the gravity of the offence.

Tam said overseas allies made blatant calls for such sanctions, while Wong, remaining in Hong Kong, published and bolstered those calls.

"It is clear that the defendant’s conspiracy with others ceased not because he had chosen to withdraw from it but because he was convicted on 23 November 2020 of two offences related to unlawful assembly and was remanded in custody," Tam wrote.

"In light of his defiant attitude as shown in his published messages, but for his remand, he would no doubt have persisted with the offence."

He described Wong and Law as the conspiracy’s “two ring-leaders or masterminds” and took a 13-year starting point – below former media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s 18-year starting point for sentencing, as Wong’s case was less serious.

Tam said he cut three years for the guilty plea and mitigation, leaving 10 years – the statutory minimum for a grave offence.

Two months and two days of the new term will run concurrently with the sentence Wong is already serving for a separate subversion case.
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Last updated: 2026-11-05 HKT 14:11


Edited by Aaron Tam