Jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung was sentenced to 10 years under the National Security Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Thursday for persistently calling for foreign sanctions on China (including the HKSAR) after the law's promulgation on June 30, 2020, with two months and two days run concurrently for another offense in another case.
National security judge William Tam Yiu-ho first set the penalty at 13 years, then reduced it to 10 years considering Wong's plea and mitigation, the minimum term for an offense "of a grave nature" under the NSL of HKSAR.
Wong, the former secretary-general of the now-disbanded political party Demosisto and who is already serving a prison sentence for subversion, pleaded guilty in the High Court on Sept 2 to the count of colluding with foreign entities, conspiring with his party mate, fugitive former legislator Nathan Law Kwun-chung, and others in Hong Kong to seek support from the international community to impose sanctions, blockades, or other hostile actions against mainland and Hong Kong between July 1, 2020, and Nov 23, 2020.
"The punishment must fit the gravity of the crime committed. It is also necessary for the court to express the community's abhorrence of the defendant's scheme and acts together with others to collude with foreign forces or external elements to endanger national security, and to serve the imperative of deterrence," Tam said while handing down the penalty.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com
