Australian writer Yang Jun was sentenced to death in China. This could significantly worsen relations between Beijing and Canberra.
The Chinese judiciary has apparently sentenced Australian author Yang Jun to death, the government in Canberra announced on Monday. An official confirmation from China is still pending. However, Yang's death sentence was suspended. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement it was “appalled” by the “shocking news” from China, saying: “As far as we are aware, this sentence can be converted to life imprisonment after two years if the person concerned has not committed any serious offenses during the two years.” commits crimes.”
Yang Jun, who was born in China, received Australian citizenship in 2002. He worked primarily in New York and was arrested in 2019 while in Guangzhou, a city in southern China. Chinese authorities have accused him of spying for a foreign country, although the exact details of the charge are unknown. Yang denies the allegations against him. A human rights lawyer working in China told Reuters that Yang was found guilty “on all counts.”
Yang, who is now 59 years old, appears to be seriously ill. Last year he was diagnosed with a kidney cyst. His supporters reported that he had suffered greatly from his five years in prison.
China sentences Australian to death: He became known for his spy novels
Yang became known for his spy novels about a double agent. He has also been critical of China's ruling Communist Party in blogs. According to a report by the Reuters news agency from October 2020, Yang actually worked as a spy at times – albeit on behalf of the Chinese government. Yang is said to have made this publicly known himself in 2011. He is said to have worked for the Chinese Ministry of State Security for ten years from 1989, including in Hong Kong and Washington.
The death sentence against Yang could significantly strain relations between Beijing and Canberra. After a long phase of diplomatic coldness, China and Australia recently became closer again. In November, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was received in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first high-level talks between the two countries since 2016.
Relations between Australia and China have been tense for years
Relations were strained for years after the Australian government called for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in 2020. The virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Beijing responded to the Australian initiative with sanctions, including punitive tariffs on Australian beef. Relations were also strained by the detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei in China in 2020. Cheng, who worked for Chinese state television, was released late last year. She was accused of passing state secrets abroad.
Under President Xi, China has made so-called “national security” a top priority. At the beginning of the year, Beijing arrested a suspected MI6 agent for suspected espionage. (sh)
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