Christian pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to another 10 years in prison in Hong Kong, prompting renewed calls for his release.
The 30-year-old activist was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under Beijing’s national security law.
He has already been in prison since November 2020 and had been expected to be released in January 2027 but now faces remaining behind bars until late 2036.
Responding on X, Lord Alton said: “Although unjustly held behind bars, Joshua Wong’s passion for freedom, democracy and humanity must continue to inspire those of us who enjoy the freedom which Joshua is denied.”
It is Wong’s second conviction under the national security legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Former security minister Tom Tugendhat also paid tribute to Wong following his sentencing.
“Take a moment today to think about the courage of Joshua Wong. A young activist [whose] only crime is defending the liberty of others in Hong Kong,” he wrote on X.
He added: “He could have run. He could have lived in exile. He chose courage.”
Human rights organisation Hong Kong Watch called on governments to challenge the prosecution and press for Wong’s immediate and unconditional release.
“Advocating for freedom and democracy is not a crime,” it said.
Wong rose to international prominence as a teenage leader of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, which sought greater democracy in Hong Kong. He later co-founded the political party Demosisto, which disbanded when the national security law came into force.
Raised in a Christian family, Wong has previously spoken about the influence of his faith on his campaigning and linked his pursuit of justice to the Christian responsibility to be “salt and light in society”.
He was already serving a sentence of four years and eight months, handed down in November 2024, for conspiracy to commit subversion.
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith called on the UK government to act.
“The sentencing of Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison is an absolute disgrace and yet another example of the Chinese Communist Party's brutal suppression of democracy and freedom in Hong Kong,” he said.
“I raised Joshua Wong's case in the House of Commons in September, calling on the Government to confront Beijing over its persecution of peaceful protesters.
“China has torn up the Sino-British Joint Declaration and systematically dismantled the freedoms it promised to uphold. Britain has a moral and historic responsibility to the people of Hong Kong. Strong words are no longer enough.
“The Government must act, impose sanctions on those responsible and demand Joshua Wong's, and Jimmy Lai's, release.”
