SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian pro-democracy academic held for seven months in China has been formally arrested for spying, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Tuesday as she demanded Beijing uphold “basic standards” of justice.
Payne said she was “very concerned” that Chinese-born Yang Hengjun — a former official turned author — had been arrested on “suspicion of espionage.”
Yang had been detained after returning to China from the United States in January.
Now in his 50s, he had used popular blog and social media posts to criticize Beijing’s authoritarian government. He has a following of more than 125,000 on Twitter alone.
After months without access to his lawyer or family, Yang now faces trial on charges that could bring a lengthy prison sentence.
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China’s near-silence about Yang’s fate has been a point of friction in relations with Australia that have markedly deteriorated in recent months.
Yang had been detained after returning to China from the United States in January.
In a sharply worded statement, Payne said she had raised the case five times with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, in person and via letters.
“Dr Yang has been held in Beijing in harsh conditions without charge for more than seven months,” Payne said, referencing international rules prohibiting torture.
“Since that time, China has not explained the reasons for Dr Yang’s detention, nor has it allowed him access to his lawyers or family visits.”
Yang is the latest in a string of foreign nationals to be arrested in China and charged with espionage or attempting to steal state secrets.
