A Hong Kong court handed down a 10-year prison sentence to activist Wong on Tuesday for foreign collision offenses. Wong entered a guilty plea in the second case during September.
The sentencing stems from his involvement in an international campaign advocating for sanctions against mainland China and Hong Kong. These actions followed the anti-government demonstrations that shook the city in 2019.
Wong was convicted of conspiring with fugitive former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung and other activists. Prosecutors established that the group colluded with foreign forces after Beijing implemented the national security law on June 30, 2020.
Justice William Tam Yiu-ho presided over the case. He ruled that the defendants exploited connections with top overseas officials and institutions.
The judge stated that the group promoted foreign interference through social media channels and prominent Western news agencies. He added that the advocated sanctions and hostile acts could lead to highly detrimental and adverse consequences for Hong Kong and mainland China.
Wong was already serving a separate prison sentence for conspiracy to commit subversion. The court ordered him to serve the new term concurrently with his previous sentence.
His previous sentence was scheduled to expire on January 7. With the new ruling, Wong’s expected release date has been pushed back to late 2036.
Hong Kong experienced widespread anti-government protests in 2019. Beijing subsequently imposed the national security law on the semi-autonomous region in 2020.
