Hong Kong security chief condemns external criticism over Joshua Wong sentence
Hong Kong Security Secretary Tang Kwok-keung condemned external forces for malicious attacks after Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years for conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security, calling him a root cause of instability.
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security, Tang Kwok-keung, on 5 November condemned what he described as malicious attacks by external forces following the sentencing of Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to collude with foreign or external forces to endanger national security. Speaking after a meeting of the Fight Crime Committee, Tang said those making the attacks were precisely the same external forces that Wong and his associate, the fugitive Agnes Kwok, had sought to collude with.
Tang said the court had ruled that Wong’s case was of a serious nature requiring severe punishment, and that Wong and Kwok were the root causes of damage to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. He urged Hong Kong citizens to recognise the facts. The court, Tang noted, had given Wong sufficient time to consider his defence, but due to overwhelming evidence, he had no choice but to plead guilty. Tang said this reflected the lawfulness of the police arrest and the prosecution by the Department of Justice, which he described as well-founded.
The sentencing, Tang added, detailed the court’s reasoning and demonstrated that Wong had undergone a fair and open judicial process, upholding the rule of law consistently upheld by Hong Kong’s courts. The Special Administrative Region government, he said, bore a constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security, and would resolutely crack down on anti-China elements and agents of external forces, ensuring that laws are enforced and violators punished.
When asked whether the government would appeal Wong’s sentence, Tang said the 10-year term reflected the seriousness of the crime, and that he would study the full judgment with the Department of Justice before deciding. Tang also said Wong could participate in rehabilitation activities in prison, including a programme called “Accompanying with Principles”, which aims to enhance legal awareness, foster a sense of Chinese identity, and improve understanding of the nation, to aid his rehabilitation.