Yang Hengjun: Australian writer given suspended death sentence in China - BBC News

Yang Hengjun was arrested on a 2019 trip to China and accused of spying.

5 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, YANG HENGJUN/TWITTERImage caption, Yang Hengjun has been detained in China since 2019By Tiffanie TurnbullBBC News, SydneyAustralian writer Yang Hengjun has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, five years after he was arrested and accused of spying.

The sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, according to Australian officials.

Dr Yang - a scholar and novelist who blogged about Chinese state affairs - denies the charges, which have not been made public.

The Australian government says it is "appalled" by the outcome.

It comes after a landmark visit to China by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese late last year, which was aimed at improving relations that had been deteriorating in recent years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68201475?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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