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Today, a Hong Kong court sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison. The charge was for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. His supporters say it was trumped up using a national security law imposed by Beijing. NPR China correspondent Jennifer Pak reports.
JENNIFER PAK, BYLINE: Wong is already in prison, serving time for a subversion conviction, and was looking forward to being released in two months before this latest sentence. It's his second conviction under the national security law.
CHUNG CHING KWONG: It's actually very sad.
PAK: Fellow Hong Kong activist and friend Chung Ching Kwong is relieved the sentence isn't longer but says it's upsetting Wong's in prison at all.
KWONG: He represented the future.
PAK: She says Wong is the face of Hong Kong's younger generation who grew up after 1997, when Britain handed the territory back to China and enjoyed the rights they retained under the British, including freedom of speech and assembly. Wong was at the forefront of the massive pro-democracy protest in 2014 and the anti-government protests in 2019.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in non-English language).
PAK: For Beijing, this was a lot of turmoil, says Eric Lai, senior fellow of Georgetown University's Center for Asian Law. In response, officials argued they needed a national security law to stabilize Hong Kong.
ERIC LAI: But in practice, after the law was enacted, it was not used to mainly target violent protesters or rioters at all.
PAK: Instead, Lai says, the national security law was used against peaceful activists and advocates like Wong. In this latest case, Wong was convicted of rallying foreign countries to impose sanctions or blockades against Hong Kong and China in 2020. And he pled guilty, though his supporters see it as a deliberate move to reduce his sentence. Wong has been locked up on and off for years.
LAI: He has been staying in jail for more than half of his lifetime as of now. He's just 30 years old.
PAK: After today's sentencing, the U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China called for Wong's unconditional release, saying his case shows Hong Kong's courts are being weaponized to advance repression. China's foreign ministry says remarks like these are irresponsible, adding the case abided by the rule of law.
KWONG: And he is afraid, but...
PAK: No doubt Wong is afraid. But he knows the rest of the world is on his side, says Kwong. And she says Wong remains a role model for activists like her.
Jennifer Pak, NPR News Beijing.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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