Joshua Wong Sentenced to 10 More Years, Taiwan's DPP Condemns Beijing Crackdown

Nov 05, 2026

Hong Kong courts handed democracy activist Joshua Wong another 10-year prison term under the national security law, drawing sharp condemnation from Taiwan's ruling party and from European officials — bad news for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and for Beijing's international image.

  • Joshua Wong, already serving time from the 2021 case involving 47 pro-democracy figures, now faces not getting out until around 2036 instead of being released early next year.
  • Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party called the ruling proof that Beijing is using "national security" as a excuse to crush political dissent and strip Hong Kong people of their political freedoms.
  • The European Union and human rights groups like Amnesty International publicly criticized the sentence as politically motivated, saying it shows Hong Kong's legal system keeps getting worse.
  • Taiwan's party pointed to a broader pattern: the 47-person case, the conviction of media mogul Jimmy Lai, and the shutdown of pro-democracy parties and civic groups show once-normal political activity in Hong Kong has essentially disappeared under Chinese Communist Party rule.
  • Taiwan's party called on Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to free Wong and other detained activists, and urged the world to keep pressing China to honor its promises of autonomy for Hong Kong.

Outlook: Expect continued international criticism but little near-term change from Beijing, as Hong Kong's crackdown on dissent shows no sign of easing.

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