The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has expressed this Friday his "concern" at the conviction of ten years in prison against the pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong Joshua Wong for conspiracy with foreign powers, in application of the National Security Law promoted by Beijing.
Turk has stressed in a statement that "the imposition of harsh penalties under national security legislation in the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao is a cause for deep concern".
The Human Rights official has also pointed out that this is the second "severe" prison sentence against Wong, who already accumulates 16 years in prison "for the exercise of his rights and fundamental freedoms".
In his message, he has brought up the first known case of this type in Macao, which affected the former lawmaker Au Kam San, sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison after several hearings held behind closed doors in which "he did not have a lawyer of his choice" for his defense.
"We reiterate the call for the convictions and sentences handed down on national security grounds (...) to be thoroughly reviewed in light of their international obligations in the field of Human Rights," the High Commissioner has asserted.
The judicial ruling places Wong as one of the main driving forces behind a campaign launched in 2020 to urge foreign governments, including that of the United States, to impose sanctions on Beijing and Hong Kong authorities after the pro-democracy protests of 2019.