Taiwanese Civil Society Groups Demand Release of Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong

Taipei: Several civil society groups in Taiwan on Wednesday called for the immediate release of jailed Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, as he pleaded guilty in Hong Kong to a national security charge that could carry a life sentence. According to Focus Taiwan, Wong pleaded guilty at Hong Kong's High Court on Wednesday to conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others in 2020 to seek foreign sanctions, blockades, or other hostile actions against the Hong Kong and Chinese governments. The offense, under Hong Kong's national security law, carries a prison term of three to ten years, or up to life imprisonment if deemed to be "of a grave nature," the report detailed. Chanting "Freedom is not a crime, Taiwan has not forgotten," representatives from groups including Amnesty International Taiwan and the Taiwan Hong Kong Association gathered outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Wednesday to call for the release of Wong. The groups called on Hong Kong authorities to drop all charges agains t Wong and unconditionally release the 29-year-old, while also urging an end to what they described as the use of national security laws to suppress peaceful advocacy and freedom of expression. Further, they appealed to Taiwan's government to publicly speak out over Wong's case, reflecting a broader concern about the impact of national security laws on democratic freedoms and human rights in Hong Kong.