Hong Kong (AFP) - Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 more years in jail on Thursday for colluding with foreign powers, the second time he was penalised under the city’s national security law.

Wong, who became internationally renowned during the “Umbrella Movement” that convulsed Hong Kong in 2014, has already spent almost six years behind bars and is now not due for release until late 2036.

The US consulate in Hong Kong said the sentencing showed that Beijing “will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate for fundamental freedoms” in the Chinese territory.

China said it “firmly supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in safeguarding national security in accordance with the law and cracking down on acts that endanger national security.”

“Relevant parties should earnestly respect China’s sovereignty, respect Hong Kong’s legal system, stop making irresponsible remarks… and cease interfering in Hong Kong’s judiciary and China’s internal affairs in any form,” the foreign ministry said.

Wong, 30, was previously expected to be freed in January after serving four years and eight months for “subversion” under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

But Hong Kong authorities used the same law to charge Wong again in June last year, accusing him of collusion with other countries and entities to impose sanctions against the finance hub and China.

Pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was given 20 years in February under the same legislation.

Wong was potentially facing a life term but the court decided “an appropriate starting point” to be 13 years, which was then reduced due to his guilty plea.

Wong said in his mitigation letter to the court, seen by AFP, that he had hoped to leave prison in 2027, but the new charge made him feel he was back to square one.

He added that his future would not be defined by the past, and that the years he has spent behind bars have been the “most profound lessons” of his life.

- Political star -

With a heavy police presence outside, Wong entered the dock looking calm in a blue shirt and black glasses, nodding to supporters.

After the sentencing, Wong thanked and waved to his supporters as he left. Some wept and were heard saying: “We’ll be waiting for your release.”

Beijing “is keeping a tight rein over Hong Kong and there’s no scope for turning back to the more relaxed days before 2019”, Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, told AFP before the sentencing, referring to the year massive pro-democracy protests broke out in the city.

Human Rights Watch said the sentence was “cruel and unjust”, and urged foreign governments to “impose targeted sanctions on officials responsible for Hong Kong’s growing repression”.

Wong rose to prominence during Hong Kong’s 2014 protests, known as the Umbrella Movement, and has been in and out of jail since 2017.

Authorities said Wong started international lobbying as early as 2016, when he promoted a bill that would allow the US president to impose sanctions over rights violations in the city.

During Hong Kong’s pro-democracy marches in 2019, Wong was part of a delegation to the United States to lobby for the bill, which eventually passed.

The following year, Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on Hong Kong that effectively quashed dissent, prompting opposition groups to disband and activists to flee the city.

At the time, Wong vowed to “continue to defend my home – Hong Kong – until they silence me”.

He was among dozens of pro-democracy figures jailed for “subversion” in 2024, in what was Hong Kong’s largest national security trial. Some of them have since been released.

- ‘Utter disregard’ -

Hong Kong chief executive John Lee said after Thursday’s sentencing that Wong had an “utter disregard for the law”.

Taiwan criticised the “endless political persecution” of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists after Wong’s sentencing.

Margaret Chan, a 61-year-old retiree and a long-time supporter of Wong, told AFP that she was “too heartbroken” as the judge handed down the sentencing.

“He will be in his middle age by the time he is released,” she said.

ET Wong, a housewife in her forties, said she cried when she heard of the 10-year sentence, saying Wong had “given his all” for Hong Kong.

“I see his contribution as entirely selfless,” she said.

“I feel sad for him but there is nothing we can do… except encourage and support each other,” pro-democracy activist Figo Chan told reporters.