Joshua Wong’s 10-year prison sentence will add 9 years and 10 months to the term he is already serving. The High Court ordered two months and two days to run concurrently with his sentence in a separate case.
Wong pleaded guilty in September to conspiring with Nathan Law and others between 1 July and 23 November 2020 to seek foreign sanctions, blockades or other hostile acts against Hong Kong or China. The court classified the offence as grave under the National Security Law.
High Court judge William Tam set a 13-year starting point, then reduced it by three years for Wong’s guilty plea and mitigation. The defence had argued that the offence fell below the grave category and sought a lower starting point; the court rejected that submission. The resulting 10-year term was the statutory minimum for an offence classified as grave, according to the sentencing reports.
In the court’s account, Wong and Law had different but equally important roles and were co-masterminds. Tam said Wong knew Law was continuing to call for sanctions from overseas, and supported those calls through messages and articles. The judge also cited Hong Kong’s social turmoil at the time and the risks to national security and the rule of law.
The sentencing summary said the National Security Law did not apply retrospectively: Wong’s conviction was based on continuing the conspiracy after the law took effect. His earlier conduct was considered as background when the court assessed the offence’s seriousness.
Wong had been expected to complete his existing sentence in January 2027.