Overview

• Yang Hengjun, detained in China since 2019, has written to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requesting support for a medical transfer to Australia.
• The pro-democracy writer and former Chinese security official is serving a suspended death sentence handed down in 2024 after a closed-door trial.
• Yang’s health has reportedly worsened during his imprisonment, prompting renewed calls for his release on humanitarian grounds.
• Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing Yang’s return, stating the desire to see him reunited with his family.
• China’s foreign ministry maintains that legal procedures in Yang’s case were properly followed, despite international criticism of the lack of transparency.