Ten governments condemn Joshua Wong’s 10-year sentence under Hong Kong’s National Security Law

Ten governments have issued a joint statement condemning the 10-year prison sentence handed to Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong under the National Security Law (NSL), calling for an end to what they describe as unjust prosecutions under the legislation.

The statement was published on the UK government website by the foreign ministries of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

What the court decided

According to NBC News, Judge William Tam sentenced Wong on Thursday after the activist pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. The judge reportedly began from a 13-year starting point and reduced the term because of the plea. Prosecutors alleged that Wong lobbied foreign governments for sanctions and other measures against Hong Kong and China.

Wong is already serving a term of four years and eight months in the city’s largest national security case, linked to an unofficial primary election. NBC reports that he was expected to be released in January 2027 before this new case, and that about two months of that earlier term remained.

The ten governments’ position

In the joint statement, the ten foreign ministries said the sentence follows the conviction, only months earlier, of leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance under the same legislation. They described both as “further examples of how the NSL is being used to target individuals for political expression and participation”.

The ministries called for “an immediate end to all unjust prosecutions of individuals charged under the NSL” and urged the authorities in China and Hong Kong to uphold their international commitments. They specifically pointed to the rights and freedoms guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984.

Beijing and Hong Kong’s line

Hong Kong authorities maintain that the security law was crucial to restoring stability after the 2019 protests and that enforcement is based on evidence. Beijing views Wong as an anti-China figure who supports Hong Kong independence, according to NBC News. Neither has withdrawn the charges or signalled any change of course in response to the foreign criticism cited in the joint statement.

Why it matters

The sentence extends Wong’s time behind bars well beyond what had been expected and adds to a growing list of cases brought under the NSL, which Western governments have repeatedly said conflicts with commitments Beijing made when the territory returned to Chinese rule. The statement’s reference to the Joint Declaration, a treaty registered at the United Nations, shows the signatories are framing the case as a matter of international obligations, not only of human rights.

The joint statement is available on the UK government website, and the court details are drawn from NBC News.