Hong Kong's legislature has condemned foreign governments that criticised the new 10-year prison sentence handed to democracy activist Joshua Wong, escalating the diplomatic row over the city's national security law.

In a statement on Saturday, the Legislative Council said the criticism was "defaming and smearing" Hong Kong's judicial system and its national security laws, and accused critics of "attempting to deliberately distort" Wong's criminal acts as personal political expression. A council spokesperson called the foreign remarks "entirely a political manipulation aimed at confusing the public and misleading the public of Hong Kong as well as the international community".

Wong, 30, was sentenced on Thursday to an additional 10 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the national security law Beijing imposed on the city in 2020. He has been behind bars since 2020 and was among the pro-democracy figures whose protests were effectively outlawed by the sweeping law.

The sentence drew swift criticism from foreign governments, including the United States, Britain and the European Union, which have framed the case as politically motivated and warned it sets a dangerous precedent for dissent in Hong Kong.

The Legislative Council rejected that characterisation, insisting the courts act independently under the Basic Law and that Wong pleaded guilty. It said the national security law has no retrospective effect and that Wong was not punished for political ideology, adding that calls from abroad for his unconditional release were an affront to the rule of law.

The council also accused some Western governments of applying double standards on human rights, and said Hong Kong had regained stability and prosperity since the law took effect.

[Source: reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-lawmakers-condemn-foreign-governments-criticism-joshua-wong-ruling-2026-11-07/) | [Source: businesstoday.com.my](https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2026/11/07/hong-kong-lawmakers-defend-joshua-wong-sentence-amid-international-backlash/)