Ten Governments Condemn Joshua Wong’s New Prison Sentence

Ten governments condemned a new 10-year prison sentence for Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong on November 6. The joint statement followed a High Court ruling a day earlier under Hong Kong’s national security law. The countries said the case showed the law was being used against political expression and participation. China’s embassy in London rejected the criticism. Joint government statement · Reuters reporting on the response

What the court decided

Wong pleaded guilty in September to a charge of conspiring to collude with foreign entities. Prosecutors accused him of working with others to seek foreign sanctions or other action against the authorities. Judge William Tam said the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offence. During mitigation, Wong said he had never advocated Hong Kong independence or received foreign funding. He was already in custody when the new sentence was handed down. Reuters court reporting

Wong rose to prominence as a student activist during Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy protests. China imposed the national security law in 2020. The joint statement also cited convictions of Hong Kong Alliance leaders under the law, placing Wong’s sentence in the context of several recent cases watched by rights groups and foreign governments. Joint government statement

Why the 1984 declaration is part of the dispute

The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand signed the statement. They called on China and Hong Kong to respect the rights and freedoms set out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which established the terms for the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China. China’s embassy characterized the joint statement as interference in China’s internal affairs and said it had lodged representations with the UK. Joint government statement · Reuters reporting on Beijing’s response

The statement sets out a common diplomatic position and contains no announcement of sanctions. Any change to Wong’s sentence would come through a separate legal development. The ruling and the international response therefore have different consequences: one determines the penalty, while the other signals how the signatories view Hong Kong’s use of the law.