Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Sentenced for Doxxing

Hong Kong pro-democracy Joshua Wong leaves the Eastern Magistrates' Courts after being arrested and released on bail in Hong Kong on Aug. 30, 2019. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

In August 2020, former Secretary-General and Co-founder of Demosisto Joshua Wong Chi-fung posted photos and personal data of a police officer and his family, who shot an unarmed 20-year-old protester in the stomach with a live round in Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong.

Although Wong deleted the post within 48 hours, over 200 people commented with 400 shares. Of the comments on the post, some were allegedly “Instigating others to disturb the policeman and his family.”

Joshua Wong was accused of violating an injunction order and a doxxing ban. Wong pleaded guilty to one count of contempt of court.

Case Involved

On Nov. 11, 2019, a Hong Kong traffic warden shot a 20-year-old protester in the stomach at close range with a live round in Sai Wan Ho during the anti-extradition movement.

Chow Pak-kwan, the protester, suffered from severe conditions after being shot in the stomach. His right liver, kidney, and two liver lobes had to be surgically removed.

The news shocked Hongkongers as the gun-down protester did not carry any weapon, and the policeman fired without warning. The enraged netizens began digging for the officer’s identity and family information.

In August 2020, Joshua Wong posted photos and personal data of the policeman and his family. He deleted the post within 48 hours.

Sentencing

The Department of Justice has never filed a complaint or formally charged the police officer who fired a live round at an unarmed civilian at close range. However, The Department of Justice charged Joshua Wong with contempt of court in 2022.

The prosecutor claimed that Wong posted online info containing the Chinese name of the police officer involved in the Sai Wan Ho incident on Aug. 14, 2020. The prosecutor also alleged that Wong circulated the same post with the officer’s and his family’s data in various online discussion forums.

Judge Russell Coleman sentenced Wong to three-month imprisonment on April 17.

Target of Regime

Wong was gliding through social movements at the age of 14. In 2011, he founded the now-disbanded Scholarism, a student organization protesting against the immoral and national education curriculum in Hong Kong.

In 2012, Wong successfully led Hongkongers to force the government to cancel implementing the brainwashing subjects.

In 2014, he was named by Time magazine as one of the world’s 25 most influential teenagers for his involvement in the Umbrella Movement, and in 2018 he was nominated by U.S. senators to run for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Wong has been sentenced and jailed many times since 2018 on unlawful assembly, contempt of court, participating in and inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly, and violating the No Masking Regulation.

In early March 2022, although he had served his sentence, he was charged with subversion of state power for participating in the 2020 Legislative Council primary election. He was remanded to Stanley Prison to await trial.

The imprisonment of activists like Wong has undermined confidence in Hong Kong’s future, and many young professionals have responded to shrinking freedoms and autonomy by moving abroad.