China-Australia relations: writer Yang Hengjun, jailed on the mainland, won’t appeal against suspended death sentence

A pro-democracy blogger and spy novelist, Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his arrest at Guangzhou airport in 2019.

A Beijing court this month handed Yang a suspended death sentence on espionage charges, shocking his family and supporters, after five years in detention in Beijing and three years after his closed-door trial.

The sentence was described as an “outrage” by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and threatens a recent rebound in bilateral ties that followed several years of strained relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Yang’s family, including his two Australian-based sons and close friends, said in a statement on Wednesday that Yang had decided to waive his legal right to appeal against the suspended death sentence.

There were no grounds to believe the Chinese court could remedy “the injustice of his sentence”, the statement released to media said. Chinese courts have a conviction rate of 99.9 per cent and acquittals are rare.

“Commencing an appeal would only delay the possibility of adequate and supervised medical care, after five years of inhumane treatment and abject medical neglect,” it added, noting Yang had developed a serious kidney condition.

“Yang’s decision to forgo the appeals process does not in any way change the fact that he is both innocent and morally unbreakable,” the family said.

A suspended death sentence in China gives the accused a two-year reprieve from being executed, after which it is automatically converted to life imprisonment.

His family urged the Australian government to seek his release on medical parole or a transfer to Australia.

Although the details of the case have not been officially released, Yang’s long-time friend, Sydney-based scholar