Taiwan’s Presidential Office condemns Joshua Wong’s 10-year collusion sentence

Taiwan’s Presidential Office has condemned the 10-year prison sentence handed to Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong. It urged Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities to release detained pro-democracy figures.

The condemnation came on Thursday, 5 November 2026. On the same day, the Hong Kong High Court sentenced Wong for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL).

Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported that Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities had used the NSL to prosecute activists under the pretext of safeguarding national security.

Kuo said this had violated the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents.

“Seeking democracy should not be a crime, and young people should not have to sacrifice their freedom for their ideals,” Kuo said.

She added that Taiwan would continue to stand with those defending freedom and democracy.

Mainland Affairs Council calls for release of those wrongfully detained

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top body for China policy, said in a separate statement that the NSL had been used to bring fabricated charges against activists.

The council said this had damaged Hong Kong’s international reputation and undermined the rule of law.

It called for the release of those wrongfully detained. It also urged Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities to protect Hong Kong residents’ fundamental rights and freedom of expression.

The MAC condemned what it called the “endless political persecution” of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. It accused Beijing and the Hong Kong government of using “authoritarian tools” to “fabricate charges”.

Sentence keeps Wong in prison until 2036

Judge William Tam set a starting point of 13 years and reduced it to 10 years because of Wong’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors. Wong pleaded guilty on 2 September 2026.

Judge Tam ruled that the offence was “of a grave nature”. Under the NSL, foreign collusion carries a prison term of three to 10 years. Offences judged to be grave carry 10 years to life.

The court described Wong and fellow former student leader Nathan Law as “two ringleaders or masterminds” of a conspiracy to endanger national security. Law lives in self-imposed exile and is wanted by the Hong Kong authorities.

Prosecutors accused Wong of conspiring with Law and other “unknown” individuals between 2016 and November 2020. They said the group urged foreign governments to sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials.

Wong has been in custody since November 2020. That month he pleaded guilty over an unauthorised assembly outside police headquarters during the 2019 protests.

He was later sentenced to four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion in the “Hong Kong 47” case, which related to an unofficial democratic primary held in 2020. He had been due for release in January 2027.

Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported that Wong, now 30, is expected to remain behind bars until 2036, when he will turn 40, unless he is granted a sentence reduction.

Wong is the only member of the group jailed in the subversion case to be charged twice under the NSL. The authorities brought the collusion charge in June 2025, before he had completed his existing sentences.

Wang Dan calls ruling “an extremely shameless verdict”

Chinese dissident Wang Dan called the ruling “an extremely shameless verdict” in a social media post.

“For a regime that claims to be powerful to relentlessly target a young student shows its insecurity and brutality,” Wang said.

He said the ruling showed that Beijing was determined to oppose universal values and the ideals of freedom.

Wang called on the international community to turn its attention back to Hong Kong’s worsening human rights situation. He also asked it to focus on the fate of political prisoners, including Wong and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai.

Lai was sentenced to 20 years under the same law in February. Wang also wished Wong strength and safety through his ordeal.

Reactions from rights groups, US lawmakers and Hong Kong police

Taiwan’s response adds to criticism from rights groups and foreign lawmakers.

“The harsh sentence on baseless charges against Joshua Wong is cruel and unjust,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group called for Wong’s immediate and unconditional release.

US Representative John Moolenaar chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. He called Wong “a hero who has stood up to an authoritarian superpower” and called for his immediate release.

The Hong Kong police welcomed the sentence. Chief Superintendent Steve Li of the police National Security Department said it “evidently proved” that Wong’s efforts to rouse foreign sanctions were “futile”.

In September, CNA reported, demonstrators in Taiwan called for the release of Wong and other activists.