- Yang receives suspended death sentence
- Australia condemns, summons ambassador
- Yang denied espionage charges
On espionage allegations, Yang Hengjun, an Australian author apprehended in China in 2019, has now been given a suspended death sentence by a court in Beijing.
As required by his sentence, Yang’s good behavior may commute his sentence to life.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, confirming the sentence to reporters, said, “The Australian government is appalled by this outcome,” according to SBS News.
Wong stated that Canberra would “respond in the strongest terms possible,” which would include summoning the Chinese ambassador.
She stated, “I wish to acknowledge the extreme distress that Dr Yang and his family are experiencing today, after years of uncertainty.”
In January 2019, 58-year-old blogger and pro-democracy activist Yang was apprehended at Guangzhou airport with his wife. He was charged with “endangering national security with particularly grave harm to the country and the people.”
Yang, a Chinese-born Australian, his family, and associates have all denied the charges against him. The author’s detention was deemed “unacceptable” by a previous Australian government.
Supporters expressed their dismay at the sentence on Monday.
The Sydney Morning Herald quoted his friend and colleague Feng Chongyi as saying, “He is being punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights abuses in China and his advocacy for universal values such as human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”
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Feng stated that Yang’s family, who were present in court, had informed him of the ruling.
Feng previously reported that Yang worked for the Chinese Ministry of State Security for fourteen years at the provincial level. As his frustration with his position grew, he turned to writing espionage novels.
After five years of studying under Feng at the University of Technology Sydney, where he “underwent a radical transformation,” he “migrated to Australia in 2000.” His place of employment at the time of his detention was in New York.
In May 2021, Yang was tried despite having restricted access to legal representation. China has not disclosed the precise charges against him or the nation for which he is suspected of conducting espionage.
