10 nations urge end to 'unjust prosecutions' after Hong Kong activist sentenced

By AFP

• Published Nov 6, 2026 9:39 PM KST

LONDON — Ten countries including the U.K. Friday urged an immediate end to "unjust prosecutions" under Hong Kong laws after pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 more years in prison.

Wong, 30, on Thursday received a new sentence for colluding with foreign powers after spending almost six years behind bars for subversion under the national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the Chinese government.

This law is being used "to target individuals for political expression," a joint statement by four European Union states as well as Japan, Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand said.

They called for an "immediate end to all unjust prosecutions" and urged the authorities in China and Hong Kong to uphold their international commitments.

They also urged the Chinese authorities to honor the rights and freedoms guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong under an internationally binding agreement signed by Britain and China ahead of its 1997 handover.

Wong first rose to prominence during earlier protests in 2014, known as the Umbrella Movement, and has been in and out of jail since 2017. He had been due to be freed in January 2027 before receiving the fresh sentence.

The foreign ministries' statement noted this came just months after a Hong Kong court in September sentenced three activists to between five and seven years in prison over breaches of the national security law.

The activists, who had been behind bars since 2021, were leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance group that organised annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 deadly crackdown on protesters on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.