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The Hong Kong High Court on Thursday sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to ten years imprisonment over charges of “conspiring with foreign forces.”
Wong has been charged under Article 29(4) of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“NSL”) and sections 159A and 159C of the Crimes Ordinance, Cap. 200, with one count of “conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or with external elements to endanger national security” between July and November 2020, as he advocated for Hong Kong’s “democratic self-determination.”
In his second sentence, he has been accused of conspiring with Nathan Law, a self exiled activist, and others unknown. The NSL Section 29 provides for sentencing for the offence to be of three to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment. However, in cases of “a grave nature”, the offender shall be sentenced to not less than 10 years. Accordingly, as per the the new charges, he has been accused of colluding with “foreign governments or external elements” to call for the “imposition of sanctions, blockade or other hostile measures” against Hong Kong or China.
The order further adds that between July to November 2020, the US imposed sanctions on 15 top officials of PRC and the HKSAR, in accordance with Executive Order 13936 following the implementation of the NSL. Additionally, the US revoked Hong Kong’s differential treatment as a Special Administrative Region under US law, and suspended several agreements with the HKSAR. Countries such as the UK, Germany and France have also suspended agreements with HKSAR.
Joshua Wong is one of the Hong Kong’s best-known democracy activists. As a teenager, he led the 2012 protest against the Moral and National Education (MNE) curriculum that was widely recognized by human rights activists as political indoctrination. He was also part of the 2014 pro-democracy “Umbrella Movement“ and co-founded the Demosistō with Law and others in 2016. However, the party disbanded hours before the NSL came into effect in June 2020.
Wong had been previously sentenced for four years and eight months in 2024 on the ground of “conspiracy to commit subversion.” The present sentence comes two before his release in January. One of the 45 opposition figures, he was in prison for participating in unofficial primaries in 2020. Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks condemned the sentence, stating: “Joshua Wong’s bravery in speaking truth to power should be commended, but instead in Hong Kong it makes him a criminal. Today’s sentence is another grim reminder of how Hong Kong’s National Security Law has become a tool to punish dissent rather than to genuinely protect national security.” Human Rights Watch (HRW) also called for Wong’s immediate and unconditional release, noting the charges to be unjust and cruel.
Human Rights in Hong Kong has been in a critical state. The NSL, introduced by China in 2020, has been used by the authorities to target political opposition and restrict public demonstrations, undermining rule of law and human rights enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law. Under NSL, anyone who criticizes the Hong Kong or Chinese governments anywhere in the world can potentially be charged with violating the security law.
Last year, Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was convicted by the High Court and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “conspiring with foreign forces.” His legal team also confirmed that there will not be an appeal.
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Wong has been charged under Article 29(4) of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“NSL”) and sections 159A and 159C of the Crimes Ordinance, Cap. 200, with one count of “conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or with external elements to endanger national security” between July and November 2020, as he advocated for Hong Kong’s “democratic self-determination.”
In his second sentence, he has been accused of conspiring with Nathan Law, a self exiled activist, and others unknown. The NSL Section 29 provides for sentencing for the offence to be of three to ten years of fixed-term imprisonment. However, in cases of “a grave nature”, the offender shall be sentenced to not less than 10 years. Accordingly, as per the the new charges, he has been accused of colluding with “foreign governments or external elements” to call for the “imposition of sanctions, blockade or other hostile measures” against Hong Kong or China.
The order further adds that between July to November 2020, the US imposed sanctions on 15 top officials of PRC and the HKSAR, in accordance with Executive Order 13936 following the implementation of the NSL. Additionally, the US revoked Hong Kong’s differential treatment as a Special Administrative Region under US law, and suspended several agreements with the HKSAR. Countries such as the UK, Germany and France have also suspended agreements with HKSAR.
Joshua Wong is one of the Hong Kong’s best-known democracy activists. As a teenager, he led the 2012 protest against the Moral and National Education (MNE) curriculum that was widely recognized by human rights activists as political indoctrination. He was also part of the 2014 pro-democracy “Umbrella Movement“ and co-founded the Demosistō with Law and others in 2016. However, the party disbanded hours before the NSL came into effect in June 2020.
Wong had been previously sentenced for four years and eight months in 2024 on the ground of “conspiracy to commit subversion.” The present sentence comes two before his release in January. One of the 45 opposition figures, he was in prison for participating in unofficial primaries in 2020. Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks condemned the sentence, stating: “Joshua Wong’s bravery in speaking truth to power should be commended, but instead in Hong Kong it makes him a criminal. Today’s sentence is another grim reminder of how Hong Kong’s National Security Law has become a tool to punish dissent rather than to genuinely protect national security.” Human Rights Watch (HRW) also called for Wong’s immediate and unconditional release, noting the charges to be unjust and cruel.
Human Rights in Hong Kong has been in a critical state. The NSL, introduced by China in 2020, has been used by the authorities to target political opposition and restrict public demonstrations, undermining rule of law and human rights enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law. Under NSL, anyone who criticizes the Hong Kong or Chinese governments anywhere in the world can potentially be charged with violating the security law.
Last year, Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was convicted by the High Court and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “conspiring with foreign forces.” His legal team also confirmed that there will not be an appeal.
The post Hong Kong pro-democracy activist sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment over charges of “conspiring with foreign forces” appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.