US, UK and allies condemn Joshua Wong’s sentence

The United States, the United Kingdom and eight other countries condemned Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong’s 10-year prison sentence under the National Security Law. In a joint statement, they said the law was being used to punish political expression and called for an end to prosecutions they consider unjust, citing rights guaranteed by the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Beijing defended the verdict, saying Wong had pleaded guilty to colluding with foreign forces, and urged other countries not to interfere in Hong Kong’s judicial affairs. Wong was already serving a four-year, eight-month sentence and had been due for release in January.