Beijing backs Hong Kong court as Joshua Wong jailed 10 years for national security crime
Former Hong Kong demos leader Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security. Beijing's foreign ministry reiterated support for Hong Kong's rule of law and called for an end to foreign interference.
Former Hong Kong demos leader Joshua Wong, secretary-general of the now-defunct Hong Kong demos group, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiring with foreign or external forces to endanger national security, according to a report by RTHK.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Hong Kong is a rule-of-law society where the basic principles are that laws must be followed and violations must be punished. Guo noted that Wong committed the serious crime of conspiring with foreign or external forces to endanger national security, and that in the face of extensive facts and evidence he had no room to argue and chose to plead guilty.
Guo reiterated that China's central government firmly supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in lawfully safeguarding national security and cracking down on acts that endanger national security. He called on relevant parties to genuinely respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, to stop making irresponsible remarks about the adjudication of judicial cases in the SAR, and to cease any form of interference in Hong Kong's judiciary or China's internal affairs.