Australian citizen Yang Jun was sentenced to death by a Beijing court a year ago, but given a two-year suspension which could see him given life instead.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has used the anniversary of Yang Jun’s death sentence to remind Beijing that Australia “remains appalled” and will continue to “advocate for [him] at every opportunity.”
The Chinese-born Australian citizen—who also writes under the pseudonym Yang Hengjun—has been imprisoned in Beijing since 2019 on espionage charges that he and Australia have rejected.
Yang, a pro-democracy writer, was arrested during a rare trip back to China. He has previously told supporters he was tortured at a secret detention site and forced to make confessions.
Yang’s supporters expressed fears he would die in jail without proper medical treatment because of a cyst growing on his kidney.
“The past year, and the five years of detention before his sentencing, have been a difficult and dark time for Dr Yang,” Wong said in a statement on Feb. 5.
“Throughout, he has demonstrated his inner strength and remarkable resilience.
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“We hold serious concerns about Dr Yang’s health and conditions. We continue to press to ensure his needs are met and he receives appropriate medical care.”
Wong reminded the CCP that China has legal obligations to ensure “basic standards of justice, procedural fairness, and humane treatment, in accordance with international norms.”
She added that the government remains in communication with Yang, who has “made clear he knows he has the support of his country. We want to see him reunited with his family.”
Australian Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher (L) walks out from an entrance to the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court after being refused access to the trial of Australian academic Yang Jun on espionage charges in Beijing on May 27, 2021. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images
Yang’s trial took place in May 2021 at Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, but the verdict was delayed multiple times.
On Feb. 2, 2024, judges announced that he had been sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve, where the sentence would be reviewed after two years.
Canberra officials understood it was likely to be reduced to life imprisonment. Additionally, all of his personal property was confiscated.
His family said the father-of-two did not intend to appeal because he did not have the strength.
“Commencing an appeal would only delay the possibility of adequate and supervised medical care, after five years of inhumane treatment and abject medical neglect,” his family said in a statement.
“Yang’s deteriorating physical condition does not allow him to endure further rounds of this legal system.”
The CCP responded that Australia’s concerns amounted to a “gross unjustifiable interference in its handling of the case and its judicial sovereignty” and said Yang had received regular consular visits and notifications.
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said the “Australian side” had been allowed to attend the sentencing, but was barred from the trial because “state secrets were involved.”
