CHINESE-AUSTRALIAN WRITER YANG HENGJUN
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* Born in 1965, Yang Hengjun worked for the Chinese foreign ministry for several years and later lived in the US
* He moved to Australia in 1999 to study philosophy and became an Australian citizen in 2002
* Dr Yang wrote blog posts critical of the Chinese government, President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese Communist Party figures
* He was arrested at Guangzhou airport in 2019 and later charged with spying, though no details of the case against him have been made public
* Dr Yang pleaded not guilty in 2021
* He was interrogated hundreds of times over 18 months and supporters allege he was tortured
* Dr Yang suffers from kidney pain and other health issues
* His death sentence has been suspended, meaning after two years of good behaviour it could be converted to life imprisonment
* Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the sentence as "harrowing" and said Australia would continue to advocate for him
Australian Associated Press
