My friend Joshua Wong was due to be released next January. Under draconian security laws, his sentence has been extended by 10 years
Two years ago, I wrote in this newspaper about the lengthy imprisonment of my friend Joshua Wong, who I spent years campaigning alongside for the advancement of Hong Kong’s democracy. He was given an unjust sentence meant to keep him behind bars until January 2027. He was supposed to be released in a few months, when I hoped he would finally be able to reunite with his friends and family and embark on a new chapter.
But this hope was misplaced. The end of the tunnel isn’t next year; it’s late 2036. By then, he will be 40. On Thursday, Joshua was sentenced to another 10 years under Hong Kong’s national security law for colluding with foreign forces. He is the only political prisoner who’s been convicted twice under the national security law. The judge described Joshua and me as “two ringleaders or masterminds” urging foreign powers to impose sanctions and other hostile actions against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments. The judgment cited previous international advocacy work, media interviews, social media posts and the political activities of Demosistō, the youth-led democratic party we founded.
Nathan Law is a pro-democracy activist and former legislator from Hong Kong. He is a political refugee in the UK