Freedom House and the R.T. Weatherman Foundation Announce Partnership to Advocate for the Release of Hong Kong Political Prisoner Joshua Wong

Washington, DC, and London, UK—Freedom House and the R.T. Weatherman Foundation are pleased to announce a partnership to advocate for the release of Hong Kong prodemocracy advocate and political prisoner Joshua Wong. As part of this work, Freedom House’s Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners is formally adopting Wong’s case.

Joshua Wong is a prominent leader in Hong Kong’s prodemocracy movement whose activism has received international attention and acclaim. He co-founded the student group Scholarism, was a key leader in the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests in which Hong Kongers demanded free and fair elections, and co-founded the prodemocracy political party Demosistō. As a result of his activism, he has been imprisoned several times, including continuously since November 2020. On September 2, he is expected to plead guilty to charges under Hong Kong’s notorious National Security Law, which has contributed to the rapid deterioration of basic freedoms in the territory.

“Freedom House is proud to work with the R.T. Weatherman Foundation to advocate for Joshua Wong’s release,” said Jamie Fly, CEO of Freedom House. “Joshua is a passionate leader who inspired thousands to speak out against the Chinese Communist Party’s increasing restrictions on Hong Kong’s autonomy and the freedoms of its citizens. We call for Joshua to be immediately and unconditionally released.”

“Joshua Wong faces life in prison simply for demanding that China adhere to the commitments it made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration,” said Andrew P. Duncan, co-founder of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation. “In that treaty, the British and Chinese governments agreed that Hong Kong would remain autonomous until 2047. But China has repeatedly flouted that treaty, and Joshua had every right to point that out and demand that the treaty terms be upheld. We will not rest until he is free.”

About Freedom House

Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to create a world where all are free. We inform the world about threats to freedom, mobilize global action, and support democracy's defenders.

About the R.T. Weatherman Foundation

The R.T. Weatherman Foundation is an NGO restoring what war destroys—body, mind, and spirit—while strengthening democratic resilience. We operate where humanitarian action and collective safety intersect. The Foundation orchestrated permanent asylum for more than 500 Afghan refugees in Portugal in 2021 and has had active in-country humanitarian operations in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

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