Australian father Yang Hengjun has been sentenced to death by a Chinese court, but his life could be spared after a two-year-reprieve for good behaviour.
The sentence, which commutes a death sentence to life in prison after two years if no more crimes are committed, effectively means the pro-democracy writer will spend the rest of his life in prison on espionage charges that have always been strongly denied by Yang’s family and the Australian government.
Yang’s supporter Dr Feng Chongyi accused the Chinese government of outrageous political persecution.
“He is punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights abuses in China and his advocacy for universal values such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” said Feng.