On Monday, a Chinese court issued a suspended death sentence to a Chinese-born Australian democracy blogger. Yang Hengjun, a former Chinese diplomat and state security agent who had turned into a political commentator and writer of spy novels in Australia, was found guilty of espionage and received a death sentence with a two-year reprieve, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. These suspended sentences are typically commuted to life imprisonment after the two-year period.
The Australian government, which has consistently raised Yang’s case over the years, expressed shock at the ruling. “The Australian Government is appalled,” stated Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “This is harrowing news for Dr. Yang, his family and all who have supported him.”
Yang was detained on January 19, 2019, when he arrived in Guangzhou, China from New York with his wife and teenage stepdaughter. He was tried behind closed doors in May 2021, but the details of his case have not been disclosed. Despite becoming an Australian citizen in 2002, Yang has denied allegations of espionage on behalf of Australia or the United States.
According to a letter he wrote to his sons in August of last year, Yang had not experienced direct sunlight for over four years. He expressed his fear of dying in detention after being diagnosed with a kidney cyst, prompting supporters to demand his release for medical treatment. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that Australia “will be communicating our response in the strongest terms” and will continue to advocate for his interests and well-being, including proper medical care.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang noted that the court had ensured Yang’s procedural rights and arranged for the Australian side to attend Monday’s sentencing, likely referring to a diplomat or diplomats from the Australian Embassy. In October of last year, Australian journalist Cheng Lei was released after more than three years in detention in China for violating an embargo by appearing on a state-run TV network. The plights of Yang and Cheng have frequently been on the agendas of high-level meetings between the two countries in recent years.___Smith reported from Sydney. Associated Press writer Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.
