An Australian Writer has been given a death sentence by a Chinese court, five years after he was arrested over spying charges.
Yang Hengjun was arrested five years ago on charges of spying, the details of which had not been made public.
The Australian government said they were shocked by the outcome and will continue advocating for Dr Yang’s release.
Sentence Comes After Landmark Visit
The decision of the Chinese court comes a month after a landmark visit of the Australian Prime Minister to China to normalize relations.
Dr Yang’s case has unfolded behind closed doors since he was arrested for the first time in 2019.
Yang Called For Democracy
Human Rights Watch Asia Director Elaine Pearson told BBC that Dr Yang’s trial and the recent verdict was “political persecution”.
“He is punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights abuses in China and his advocacy for universal values”, she said.
