Joshua Wong, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, turns 30 today. He should be in the prime of life, developing a career, perhaps starting a family. Instead, he is languishing in a prison cell, where he has spent much of the past decade. Wong faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars. His crime? Peacefully – though persistently – demanding the freedoms that were promised to Hong Kong.
Wong’s crime? Peacefully – though persistently – demanding the freedoms that were promised to Hong Kong
Wong was first jailed nine years ago, when – together with pro-democracy legislator Nathan Law and student activist Alex Chow – he became one of Hong Kong’s first political prisoners. At that time he was sentenced to six months, but was released on bail after 69 days. I organised a campaign for the three of them, with an open letter signed by politicians and public figures from around the world. I thought at the time that their sentences were completely unjust. With hindsight, that first prison term was just the beginning.
Since 2020, Wong has served multiple sentences for participating in or “inciting” unauthorised assemblies, including a peaceful vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre. In 2024, he was sentenced to four years and eight months, charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the draconian National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing. A year later, he was hit with a second charge under the National Security Law, of collusion with foreign forces – an offence which could carry a life sentence. Last month, he pled guilty to this charge in court, and is awaiting sentencing.
The truth is, Wong should never have spent a day in jail. He never advocated violence, did not promote secession, and never committed what any free or open society would regard as any crime. He simply wanted Beijing to keep its promises, made in an international treaty, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984 in preparation for the 1997 handover of Hong Kong. In that treaty, China promised to uphold Hong Kong’s basic freedoms, human rights, the rule of law, and a high degree of autonomy for at least the first fifty years after the handover, until 2047. Less than halfway through that period, Beijing has torn up its promises and trampled all over Hong Kong’s freedoms.
Wong also sought the universal suffrage that was promised in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. But Beijing regards any promotion of democracy as a threat to its power, and so turns advocacy for democratic norms into a criminal offence.
There are many brave Hong Kong activists who have fought for freedom and remain in jail today. But Wong’s courage and dedication is extraordinary. He began his activism as a teenager, at the age of 14, successfully campaigning against attempts to impose Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideological propaganda in the school curriculum. He founded a movement called Scholarism in 2011, and went on to become one of the leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests. TIME magazine featured him on their front-cover as the face of the Hong Kong protests, and Netflix broadcast a documentary film titled Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower. He travelled internationally, meeting high-profile politicians in Washington, DC, London and other capitals, and wrote a powerful book titled Unfree Speech: The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act, Now.
I had the privilege of meeting Wong on several occasions, and helped to host him in London and arrange meetings for him in Parliament. I never ceased to be inspired by his extraordinary focus, courageous dedication and utmost determination. At such a young age, he was prepared to sacrifice his own future for Hong Kong’s future.
As he turns 30, the international community must deliver a clear and robust message to the Beijing and Hong Kong authorities: enough is enough. The United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, Japan and all the world’s democracies have a responsibility to demand Joshua Wong’s freedom.
If Beijing’s aim was to crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, they have already achieved that. If the aim was to make an example of Joshua Wong by locking him up for years, they have already achieved that. Now it is time for the CCP to show some humanity and release Wong on or soon after his 30th birthday.
Britain has a particular obligation, given our history in Hong Kong. While Wong may not technically be a British citizen, he was born just before the handover, under British colonial rule, and so morally if not legally we have a duty of care towards him. The Prime Minister Andy Burnham must press his case. The foreign secretary Ed Miliband – who has already promised in Parliament to take up the case – must intensify his efforts. President Donald Trump must also demand Wong’s release when he meets Xi Jinping on two occasions before the end of the year, in Shenzhen at the APEC Summit and in Miami at the G20.
Freeing Joshua Wong will not restore the lost years he has already spent in jail. But as he turns 30, freeing him would give him a chance to rebuild his life while he still can. It would be the best possible birthday present we could offer, even if it comes belatedly.
Benedict Rogers is a human rights activist and writer. He is Senior Director of Fortify Rights, co-founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch, and author of “The China Nexus: Thirty Years In and Around the Chinese Communist Party’s Tyranny” (2022, Optimum Publishing International)
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