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The Guardian reveals Joshua Wong’s letters from prison. While serving his long sentence he continued to read, exercise and write letters and admitted that what worried him most was that the world would forget Hong Kong and those who paid the price for their beliefs.
The British “Guardian” reported,hong kong pro-democracy activistjoshua wong Before being sentenced to another 10 years in prison for the controversial “Hong Kong National Security Law”, he continued to read and exercise in prison, and wrote letters to friends explaining that he worried the world would forget Hong Kong.
The Guardian obtained Wong’s prison letters written to friends between August and October this year. He wrote to an acquaintance about his reading habits in prison, “Some of the old-school Triad bosses here loaned me books, and one of them lent me Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather’.”
The contents of the letter reveal that Joshua Wong, who is serving his sentence in Stanley Prison, not only borrowed books from three prisoners, but also studied law and wrote a letter, eager to keep in touch with the outside world.
Following the Umbrella Movement in 2014, Joshua Wong was jailed in the Citizens Square case; Following the “anti-extradition” movement in 2019, he was arrested again for the police headquarters siege, illegal assembly and other matters, and has been on remand since November 23, 2020, and is serving his sentence. He was later charged with “subversion of state power” in relation to the pan-democratic primary election case and sentenced to four years and eight months in prison in 2024. He has been kept in jail for six consecutive years.
Joshua Wong, who was originally expected to be released from prison in January 2027, was convicted in 2025 of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.” In September this year, he confessed to his crime and on the 5th, the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. He is expected to be released from prison in 2036, when he will be 40.
He said in the letter, “My only concern is that the world will forget Hong Kong. I am also worried that in the competition and game between major powers, people will forget the ordinary people who are scattered throughout the country and pay the price for their beliefs.”
While in prison, Joshua Wong did not forget to exercise, spend time learning to play the guitar, and even taught English to other prisoners. He explained in the letter that he was teaching English to a Russian prison inmate who asked him what “totalitarian” meant. He simply replied that it was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Furthermore, it seems that reading has become the focus of Joshua Wong’s life in prison. His reading list includes late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s memoir “Patriot”, autobiographies of late Apple founder Steve Jobs, late former South African President Nelson Mandela and United States founding father Benjamin Franklin.
On November 5, 2024, the day of the US presidential election, Joshua Wong holds a copy of then-Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” while noting the voting results.
Joshua Wong revealed in the letter that he has lost some weight, but is still following a strict exercise plan, which includes doing pull-ups, squats and push-ups. He also read the Bible, memorizing passages from Joshua and 1 and 2 Corinthians.
Xu Yingting, a member of the defunct Hong Kong Scholars Movement and Huang’s childhood friend, said: “Ziefeng Huang’s case is part of an effort to control the political and historical memory of our generation.”
Hui Yingting stressed: “For many years, people around the world could hear him debating, organizing and explaining what Hong Kong should look like in the future. Now we barely hear his voice. When he gained his independence, he was no longer the young boy we remember.”
Summary FAQ
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He continued to read legal and biographical books, borrow books from prisoners, learn to play the guitar, take English lessons and perform pull-ups, squats and push-ups as planned, relying on these arrangements to maintain his physical and mental condition.
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He said what worries him most is that the world will forget Hong Kong, especially under the competition between major powers, even ordinary people who have paid the price for their beliefs and are unknown may be ignored by the outside world.
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Reports suggest that he has been in jail for a long time in several cases and was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison. He is not expected to be released from prison until 2036. Currently, he is still in prison reading, writing letters and exercising, trying to stay connected to the outside world.
