Australian spy novelist Yang Hengjun faces Chinese espionage trial | Censorship News

Melbourne, Australia – Chinese-Australian citizen Yang Hengjun will be tried on Thursday in China on charges of espionage and acting as a spy for the Australian government.

In a letter written in March and released on the eve of the trial, Yang was a Stoic.

“There is nothing more liberating than realizing the worst fears,” he wrote in a letter published in the Australian media. “I’m not afraid now. I will never compromise.

“The values ​​and beliefs we share, and the ones I’ve shared with my readers, are something greater than me.”

He was a 56-year-old writer, blogger and pro-democracy activist He was arrested in January 2019 when he arrived at Guangzhou airport with his wife and he could face the death penalty because he “endangered national security” because he has done serious harm to the country and the people. ”The minimum sentence is three years.

The Australian government has long denied allegations of acting as a spy for Australia, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the claim in 2019 is “completely false”. Canberra said Yang’s arrest was “unacceptable.”.

According to Amnesty International, Yang may have faced 300 inquiries during his time in prison so far.

Feng Chongyi’s friend and colleague says these interrogations are designed to “extract confession” and “fabricate a case against him”.

Feng, an Australian resident of Sydney and a self-proclaimed “liberal Chinese”, was arrested by the Chinese government in 2017 for a week after an academic visit.

“My arrest was similar to Yang’s – to try to establish a case of espionage,” Feng told Al Jazeera. “But I was incredibly lucky to escape Yang’s fate.”

Feng says he and other liberals like Yang aim to “promote the rule of law, human rights and democratization.”

“And of course, in doing so, we criticize the current one-party dictatorship and examine Chinese society, especially the relationship between the state and society.”

State Security Officer activist, novelist

Feng has known Yang since 2005 as a “friend and colleague” and described him as “idealistic and self-sufficient”.

Feng confirmed that Yang worked for the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) for 14 years when he said it was “provincial level”.

According to Feng, Yang was frustrated with his work with MSS and began writing spy novels, “to escape from a profession he no longer believed in. [in] or if he was excited ”.

Such novels were based on Yang’s experiences in the ministry and although they were not published as a book in China, they were published on the internet with a nickname.

Yang and Feng were initially connected online. The first moved to Australia in 2000 and five years later began studying at Fengen University of Technology in Sydney.

In particular, Feng says, Yang would “study the possible impact of the Internet on Chinese communist rule. So by doing so, he became liberal.”

After Yang graduated, they both co-authored many joint publications, edited books, and organized conferences on Chinese liberalism and democracy.

Yang (right) was seen in a 2015 debate in Vancouver. Feng is sitting next to her. The other guest is Xin Lijian, a liberal businessman and educator who helped Yang, and was soon jailed for more than two years. [Courtesy of Feng Chongyi]

Feng says Yang’s father, a director and a teacher, was “prosecuted by the regime [and] he never had a good relationship or opinion about the communist dictatorship ”.

Therefore, he believes that this influence may have been, along with Feng’s tutelage, what transformed Yang from an agent of the provincial government to an activist for democracy.

The fact that Yang is an Australian citizen has made his arrest and forthcoming trial an international diplomatic issue.

In a recent media appearance, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that “despite repeated requests from Australian officials, the Chinese authorities have not provided any explanation or evidence for the charges against Dr. Yang.”

“Since his arrest, Dr. Yang has not had access to his family and has restricted and delayed access to his legal representation.”

The statement also raises concerns that the trial will be closed as there are no Australian authorities.

Diplomats were banned from court by Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, Yang was arrested the previous month and allowed only a limited consular relationship, where he was tried on espionage charges in March. The two men are awaiting sentencing. Chinese courts convict 99% of defendants.

“We have clearly conveyed to the Chinese authorities our concerns about Dr. Yang’s treatment and the lack of procedural correctness in how his case has been handled,” Payne said.

“As a basic rule of justice, observers’ access to trial must be kept to a minimum in order to comply with international transparency rules.”

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Australian-based Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Yang’s trial will be conducted in accordance with Chinese law.

“Chinese judicial bodies handle cases in accordance with the law and fully protect the legal rights and interests of their respective employees,” Zhaok told Al Jazeera when asked about the case. “As for the specific situation you mentioned, I currently have no information to offer.”

Frayed diplomatic ties

Australia has close trade relations with China, but relations have been weakened as a result of a call to investigate the origin of WuVan COVID-19 on the ground, where the first cases of the disease arose in late 2019.

There is also growing concern about human rights violations against Uyghurs, which has included the arrest of members of the family of ethnic Uyghurs who are Australian citizens.

Australian citizen and television anchor Cheng Lei, who worked for the CGTN on state television, disappeared in August last year. He also suffers accusations of espionage [File: Australia Global Alumni – Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade via Reuters]

China recently accused Australian Uyghurs of “terrorism” and last month Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye gave a press conference in Canberra where he called allegations of human rights abuses against Uyghurs “false news”.

Yang is also not the only Australian celebrating in China. Cheng Leithe big business anchor of the state television channel CGTN disappeared in August last year. The following month, he was accused of endangering national security.

The arrests have attracted the attention of human rights organizations around the world.

Joshua Rosenzweig, head of China’s Amnesty International Group, said this week that “the allegations against Yang appear to be politically motivated accusations because of the articles he wrote that were critical of the Chinese government. It is a horrific attack on the right to freedom of expression.”

Rosenzweig added: “Yang’s case highlights the incarceration of incommunicado detention, coercive interrogations, secret hearings and denial of guarantees for a fair trial on vague accusations that the Chinese authorities are part of the usual repertoire of government criticism and human rights activists.

“If China does not provide accurate, credible and acceptable evidence that Yang has committed an internationally recognized crime, he will be released immediately with all that he leaves office.”

However, colleagues and friends have little hope. Feng believes the trial will not end, and authorities will allow him to be arrested for good.

“It means that the party’s current atmosphere and decision to punish Yang will give it a very harsh sentence,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This is a serious violation of human rights. I must also call on the international community and the Australian government to save Yang, and to uphold the basic values ​​of human rights. “

“Yang is a very painful friend of mine. I have a duty to come to his rescue and bring him back to Australia. ‘