A Chinese-Australian writer has told family that he has been tortured during almost two years in detention in China, but that he remains confident of receiving justice in court.
Yang Hengjun (楊恆均) was taken into custody upon arriving in Guangzhou in southern China from New York in January last year with his wife, Yuan Xiaoliang (袁小靚), and his 14-year-old stepdaughter.
The 55-year-old spy novelist and pro-democracy blogger was formally charged with espionage in October, opening a path to him standing trial.
Photo: AP
“After two years, especially with torture, more than 300 interrogations and a lot of verbal abuse, I am now in a place of deeper retrospective and introspective meditation,” Yang wrote in a holiday season letter addressed to his wife, sons, friends, colleagues and readers.
In the letter, Yang said: “I miss you more and more.”
When authorities “inspect my life, they can’t find anything wrong,” he wrote. “I still have some confidence in the court. I think they will give me justice. Whether or not they judge me guilty will say a lot about whether the court is governed by rule of law or by pure absolute power.”
Yang told his supporters: “Pursue democracy, the rule of law and freedom.”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that Yang has not been tortured or abused, and that his case is being handled according to the law.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) made the comment at a daily news briefing in Beijing.
Australia has made repeated requests to Chinese authorities for an explanation of the charges against Yang.
Australian embassy officials last visited Yang in detention in Beijing on Thursday last week, a statement from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said, without disclosing further detail, citing privacy obligations.
Yang’s detention comes as bilateral relations plumb new depths, particularly since Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August, China advised Australia that Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei (成蕾) had been detained, accused of endangering national security.
Cheng worked for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, a state media organization.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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