by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
CANBERRA/BEIJING (Worthy News) – Australia was weighing its options Tuesday after a Chinese court gave a suspended death sentence to a prominent China-born Australian pro-democracy activist on Monday. The Australian government, which has repeatedly raised his case over the years, said it was appalled.
Yang Hengjun was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed.
Such sentences are often commuted to life in prison after two years, according to experts familiar with the Chinese judiciary.
“The Australian Government is appalled,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. “This is harrowing news for Dr. Yang,
his family and all who have supported him.”
The former Chinese diplomat and state security agent who became a pro-democracy activist, political commentator, and writer of spy novels in Australia,
has denied working as a spy for Australia or the United States.
Yang was detained on January 19, 2019, when he arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou from New York with his wife and teenage stepdaughter.
Before his arrest, he posted comments critical of China’s government on social media.
His condition has worsened during his time in detention, and in August, Yang was told by medical authorities they had discovered
a 10-centimeter cyst on his kidney, sources said.
A spokesman for Yang’s family told Australian media they were shocked and devastated by the news. “We know our father has done nothing wrong,”
they said in a statement. “He is in jail because he represents truth, democracy, respectful exchange of rational ideas.”
Sydney-based scholar Feng Chongyi called it a “serious case of injustice.” He urged the Australian government to seek medical parole for Yang, but
it remained to be seen whether Beijing would be ready for such an outcome.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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