Yang Hengjun, an Australian writer and blogger, known for his outspoken views on democracy, has been formally charged for espionage in China, and will face a court trial. Dr Yang Hengjun has insisted he is innocent of the espionage charges made against him and told Chinese authorities he has never been a spy for any government.
Hengjun is a former employee of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs who later gained an Australian citizenship. He was detained by Chinese authorities in January 2019 from Guangzhou, and has been kept in custody since. He was granted access to a lawyer last month, and was formally charged for espionage on 7th October, 2020.
According to Dr. Yang’s lawyer, he has been charged for five crimes, but the lawyer couldn’t reveal details owing to a confidentiality agreement. Meanwhile Dr. Yang maintains he is innocent, and that he has not confessed to any of the charges. He has also said that he was suffered from mental maltreatment during his six-month-long residence under surveillance.
Dr Yang’s wife, Yuan Xiaoliang asked her husband’s lawyer when the trial would begin but the lawyer did not know. She has said that she feels helpless after learning of the charge.
