Key Points
- Yang Hengjun says he is in pain from a kidney cyst that is not being treated properly.
- He has told supporters he worries his life is at risk in prison.
- A spokesperson for foreign minister Penny Wong said the Australian government had consistently advocated for Yang’s welfare.
Yang Hengjun, an Australian writer who is detained in China, has told supporters he worries his life is at risk in prison, and is in pain from a kidney cyst that is not being treated properly.
An Australian citizen born in China, and also penned a series of spy novels.
What happened to Yang Hengjun?
and is facing a lengthy jail sentence after Chinese authorities charged him in 2020 with endangering national security by joining or accepting a mission from an unidentified espionage organisation.
Yang claimed he was subjected to torture and hundreds of hours of interrogations during his detention, and in a letter to family ahead of his trial in 2021, said he would face “suffering and torture with resilience”.
He is yet to receive a verdict from the trial after ongoing delays.
He said he has a 10-centimetre cyst on his kidney that has caused months of pain, the Guardian reported.
“If something happens with my health and I die in here, people outside won’t know the truth. That is frustrating,” Yang said from detention.
If something happens to me, who can speak for me?
He has been on medication for uric acid and gout while in detention but is worried his kidney problems could deteriorate.
Yang’s doctoral supervisor, Professor Feng Chongyi, has urged the Australian government to act and to ultimately secure his release to Australia through diplomatic means.
He says the government must pursue access to review the full medical examination report and other recent reports and ensure Yang is given Australian-supervised medical treatment outside the detention centre.
“These are the three things that need to be done to ensure that an Australian citizen is not left to die as a political prisoner in a Beijing detention centre,” Feng said.
A spokesperson for foreign minister Penny Wong said the Australian government had consistently advocated for the welfare of the writer, whose legal name is Yang Jun, and for him to be reunited with his family.
“Our thoughts are with Dr Yang Jun, and we share the deep concerns of his friends and family about the ongoing delays in his case,” they said.
“His case has been raised at every opportunity with the Chinese government, including by the prime minister and foreign minister. The resumption of bilateral consular consultations with China last week provided another avenue to discuss his welfare.”
Australian embassy officials reportedly visited Yang last Thursday and have raised concerns about his health and case.
