The so-called National Security Law that the Hong Kong government ratified back in 2020 strikes again. This law, which broke the agreement made when the UK handed Hong Kong back to the Chinese government three decades ago, has since been used to jail and silence all kinds of pro-democracy voices that cause communists to shiver in fear. We’re not talking about guerilla groups or well-organized NGOs here. We’re talking about everyday protestors, artists, and musicians. Calls for a rollback to these kinds of anti-speech, anti-human rights actions have been met with blank stares and obstinance.
We’ve talked about Joshua Wong here at Techdirt before. He was one of the pro-democracy voices that chose to stay in Hong Kong after the NSL was passed, despite the danger it put him in. He also was a creative force in organizing protests, not only engaging in traditional peaceful protests on the streets, but figuring out ways to rally support and organize through online spaces like multiplayer video games as well. The Chinese government, always willing to drive a semi truck when a clown car would suffice, banned some video games as a result.
That didn’t deter Wong. He kept protesting. And, predictably, he was jailed for his activities in 2020. Having served most of his sentence without controversy, Wong was slated to be released from prison at some point early next year. That is no longer the case, since the Chinese government just now decided to bring more charges against him for activities that occurred before he was imprisoned, resulting in an additional 10 year sentence in prison.
Wong is already serving time for subversion and was due to be freed early next year when he was handed the latest charges, to which he pleaded guilty in September. Two months and two days of the 10-year term will be served concurrently with his ongoing sentence, the judge said on Thursday.
Prosecutors said Wong had conspired with other campaigners, including self-exiled activist Nathan Law, to lobby for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing. These activities took place between July and late November 2020, the court heard.
Again, all of this occurred before he was convicted of the crimes for which he is already imprisoned. The government claims he is undermining Hong Kong’s future, creating instability, and is a national security threat. The details of those crimes are advocating for democracy in Hong Kong and pleading with foreign governments to put pressure on Beijing to help it come to be.
That the law used to imprison Wong can also be used to stack charges like this on him just before he is due to be released tells you all you need to know about it. It’s a farce, used solely by Beijing to silence voices it doesn’t like. That Wong pleaded guilty to the charges is meaningless. Prisoners in a system like this one can be made to confess to being a purple people eater if the government tries hard enough. This is obviously just being used to keep Wong in jail longer than his original sentence.
According to the US consulate in Hong Kong, the sentencing showed Beijing “will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate for fundamental freedoms” in the Chinese territory.
Human Rights Watch described the sentence as “cruel and unjust”.
“To keep Hong Kong society subdued, and to reduce the chance of an international outcry, the Hong Kong government appears to have adopted the tactic of stacking charges against influential pro-democracy leaders,” said its Asia director Elaine Pearson.
The rights of the people of Hong Kong continue to be purposefully eroded. The world ought to be paying attention, because the eventual takeover by Beijing is going to be attempted, either militarily or through a slow-creeping coup via laws like this.
