Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong received a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security.

High Court Judge William Tam described the offense as grave in nature and set a starting point of 13 years before reducing the term by three years to account for Wong's guilty plea entered in September. The judge stated that the punishment must fit the gravity of the crime and express the community's abhorrence of schemes involving collusion with foreign entities.

Wong, now 30, conspired with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others between July and November 2020 to urge foreign countries and organizations to impose sanctions, blockades, or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong, according to court findings. Two months and two days of the new sentence will run concurrently with his existing term.

Wong has been detained since November 2020 and is already serving a four-year, eight-month sentence from the 2024 Hong Kong 47 case related to an unofficial opposition primary election. He had been scheduled for release in January 2027 but will now remain in custody until late 2036.

Beijing imposed the national security law in 2020 following sometimes violent anti-government demonstrations in 2019. Chinese authorities have maintained that the legislation was essential to restore stability and prevent foreign interference in the city's affairs. Wong's activities occurred after the law took effect, including sharing calls for sanctions on social media.

The sentencing reflects ongoing enforcement of the national security provisions aimed at protecting Hong Kong's status as a stable financial hub under Chinese sovereignty.