Yang Hengjun the subject of a closed-door trial on Thursday. The court postponed its verdict by a later date.
“Given our procedural considerations on this case, adding the lack of main points about fees and the investigation that was done to Dr. Yang and Australia, we take into account that this is a case of arbitrary detention of an Australian citizen,” the Foreign Minister said. Marise Payne said Friday.
Australia first warned its citizens of the threat of arbitrary detention if they were driving to China on a notice in July last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that “the Chinese government has detained foreigners because” they endanger national security,” adding that Australians would possibly also be in danger.
The Chinese Embassy in Australia warns her of “ridiculous” and “misinformation. “
On Friday, Australian embassy officials made a stop in Yang when he was in detention and trusted Australia’s status through him and his circle of relatives “at this very difficult time,” Payne said. January 2019.
Ambassador Graham Fletcher denied access to the court on Thursday.
Payne said the presence of Australian officials at the head of the court reinforced his government’s support for Yang and “our deep considerations of what remains a closed and opaque process. “
The Chinese government has not disclosed the main points of tariffs that oppose Yang, a novelist who has in the past worked for China’s State Security Ministry as an intelligence officer.
Yang has denied the rate against him, and a conviction is virtually certain, it is not known when the verdict will be delivered. The espionage fee carries convictions ranging from 3 years of penalty to death penalty.
China’s Foreign Ministry said China follows foreign practice by prohibiting observers from attending a case involving state secrets.
The lawsuit comes at a time of deteriorating relations between the two countries, caused by Chinese retaliation opposed to Australian law that opposes covert foreign interference in their national policy, the exclusion of telecom giant Huawei from Australia’s 5G telephone network, and calls for an indefinite investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak that was first detected in China in late 2019.
Beijing has necessarily suspended all maximum and non-unusual contacts between the parties, while state media and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attack Australia for adopting anti-Chinese policies at the request of the United States, China’s main geopolitical rival.
Australian hounds Michael Smith of the Australian Financial Review and Bill Birtles of the Australian Broadcasting Corp fled China in September after taking refuge in Australian diplomatic facilities following requests for questioning from the Chinese authorities. agreement between the two governments, leaving the Australian media a physical presence in the country.
Before leaving, the two Chinese police hounds on Australian citizen Cheng Lei, economic news presenter of CGNT, China’s English-speaking state media channel, had been arrested a month earlier.
China said Cheng had been legally detained on suspicion of violating China’s national security laws.
China has blocked Australian exports, adding beef, wine, coal, lobster, wood and barley.
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