Australia ‘troubled’ by delays in writer Yang Hengjun’s espionage trial verdict in China

Name: Australia’s last two accredited journalists in mainland China evacuated as diplomatic ties worsen
Uploaded: 2023-01-19T03:35:17.000Z
Duration: 3 min 39 s
Description: Australia’s last two accredited journalists in mainland China evacuated as diplomatic ties worsen

Verdict in espionage trial of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, detained by China four years ago, has been delayed until April, the seventh such delay

Pro-democracy blogger Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his arrest at Guangzhou airport in 2019

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been charged with espionage in China. Photo: WEIBO/File

Reuters

Published: 11:35am, 19 Jan 2023Updated: 3:37pm, 19 Jan 2023

A verdict in the espionage trial of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, detained by China since his arrest there four years ago, has been delayed until April, the seventh such delay, his supporters said on Thursday.

Pro-democracy blogger Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his arrest at Guangzhou airport in 2019, coinciding with deteriorating relations between Australia and China.

A Beijing court heard Yang’s trial in secret in May 2021 and the case against him has never been publicly disclosed. Yang has denied working as a spy for Australia or the United States.

03:39

Australia’s last two accredited journalists in mainland China evacuated as diplomatic ties worsen

“The Australian government is deeply troubled by the ongoing delays in his case. Since Dr Yang was detained, the Australian government has called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be afforded to Dr Yang,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement marking the fourth anniversary of his detention.

Yang’s case, and that of detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei, tried in secret on national security charges in March 2022, are being closely watched in Australia as the two nations seek to improve diplomatic ties after a leaders meeting.

The first consular visit since October to the two journalists detained in Beijing took place on January 13, after the Australian government called for consular access to be restored. Chinese authorities had previously suspended visits citing Covid-19 restrictions.

A verdict in Yang’s trial has been delayed by the court seven times, and his lawyer was told the deadline had been extended a further three months to April, his supporters told Reuters.