China delays Australian writer Yang Hengjun's espionage trial by three months: friend
The espionage trial of Australian writer and academic Yang Hengjun has been delayed by Chinese authorities until April, his friend and supporter Feng Chongyi said on Monday.
Yang, who has been detained in China since January 2019, had been due to go on trial in January after being indicted earlier this year on espionage charges at Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court.
Feng, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney who previously taught Yang, said Chinese authorities had explained the trial was postponed until April 9 due to the "serious and complicated" nature of the case.
Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.
He said he believed the delay was actually because of Yang's refusal to confess to any wrongdoing, complicating proceedings in a legal system that relies heavily on confessions to establish guilt.
"Yang's refusal to confess in spite of 300 rounds of interrogation does cause real difficulties for the confession-based legal system," Feng told Reuters, which did not receive a response from the Chinese foreign ministry after reaching out for comment.
In a message to his family in September, Yang maintained his innocence and vowed he would "never confess to something I haven't done".
Feng said Yang, who faces possible life in prison, had last received consular assistance from Australian officials on December 17.
"Yang does want to argue his case in court as soon as possible," said Feng. "The delay is another kind of torture."
Yang, 55, a prominent author and blogger known for advocating greater democracy in China, was detained at Guangzhou airport in January 2019 after disembarking a flight from New York.
He worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing before emigrating in the 1990s and becoming a naturalised Australian citizen. He also acknowledged having worked as a spy for the Ministry of State Security in Washington and Hong Kong, according to a private letter he sent to Feng in 2011.
In October, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne accused Beijing of failing to uphold "basic standards of justice" in Yang's case, raising concerns about his lack of access to lawyers and consular assistance, and the lack of transparency around the case.
Payne's remarks came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said authorities would handle Yang's case "strictly in accordance with law" and "fully protect" his rights, without providing details about the allegations against him.
Yang's case is among a growing number of disputes that have strained relations between Australia and China in recent months.
The two countries have clashed over issues including the Covid-19 pandemic, trade restrictions, alleged espionage, and Beijing's increasing control over Hong Kong.
Yang is among a number of Australians in custody in China, including television anchor Cheng Lei, who was detained in August on suspicion of "criminal activity endangering China's national security".
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
