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| Graham Fletcher, Australia's ambassador to China |
Graham
Fletcher, Australia's ambassador to China, attempted to enter the
Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in line with a two-way
consular pact.
An Australian ambassador to China has been denied access to a heavily guarded Beijing court on Thursday to hear a spy case against Australian blogger Yang Hengjun during a strained relations between the two nations.
Graham Fletcher, Australia's ambassador to China, tried to enter the Beijing No. 1 court. 2 Intermediate People’s Court in accordance with the agreement of the two attorneys.
“Unfortunately we were recently denied entry to court. The reason given was because of the crisis but the foreign ministry also told us that it was because it was a national security issue and we were not allowed to go to it, ”Fletcher told reporters outside the court.
“This is very regrettable and about and unsatisfactory. We have long been concerned about this case, which includes anonymity, which is why we have concluded that it is time for unjust detention. ”
Read | Biden calls on Intel community to investigate Covid-19 origins, urging China to cooperate
The details of the case are kept secret, and no information has been released about the alleged spying on the spies.
If convicted, Yang will face up to 10 years in prison or more on charges of endangering national security.
Yang is a Chinese-born Australian citizen who lived in New York shortly before his arrest in China. Australia has complained that Chinese authorities have not provided "any explanation or evidence of the charges against him", prompting Chinese embassies on Saturday to reprimand him. in Canberra, the capital of Australia.
Human rights lawyers Mo Shaoping and Shang Baojun will represent Yang when he appears in Thursday's proceedings in Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, which was closed to the public.
Police are standing in front of the courthouse, their presence is increasing, and they are trying to identify the journalists who have been denied entry.
Yang's wife, Yuan Xiaoliang, who has not been able to see him since the couple was suspended at the airport south of Guangzhou in January 2019, applied for a court hearing but was rejected, friends told Reuters.
In his last message to family and friends in Australia before the trial, Yang said in March his health had deteriorated but they should not worry because he was "not afraid".
"If someone wants revenge on me for my documents, please explain to the people inside China what I did, and the importance of writing to the Chinese people," he said, according to a copy of a message seen by Reuters.
Fletcher said a decision could be made today, or a separate hearing.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday that Yang's correspondence with his family in Australia was "deeply emotional" and "very difficult" for him.
Australia wanted a "transparent and open process", Payne told ABC radio.
“We do not interfere in China's legal system. The concerns we have expressed are legitimate, ”he said.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Yang's arrest, China imposed sanctions on trade in Australian products and reacted angrily to its request for an international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, as well as its 5G ban on telecoms giant Huawei.
Yang has written about Chinese and American politics online as a top blogger, and has written a series of spy novels.
His arrest in January 2019 came at the same time as the Chinese police 'attack on foreign interference and "color-changing".
Yang was previously arrested in 2011 in China on suspicion of involvement in the "Jasmine Revolution" protests and was released three days later.
He wrote to his supporters in Australia after his release that he had previously worked for a Chinese state security company in Hong Kong and Washington, before moving to Australia in 1999.
Graham Fletcher, Australia's ambassador to China, tried to enter the Beijing No. 1 court. 2 Intermediate People’s Court in accordance with the agreement of the two attorneys.
“Unfortunately we were recently denied entry to court. The reason given was because of the crisis but the foreign ministry also told us that it was because it was a national security issue and we were not allowed to go to it, ”Fletcher told reporters outside the court.
“This is very regrettable and about and unsatisfactory. We have long been concerned about this case, which includes anonymity, which is why we have concluded that it is time for unjust detention. ”
Read | Biden calls on Intel community to investigate Covid-19 origins, urging China to cooperate
The details of the case are kept secret, and no information has been released about the alleged spying on the spies.
If convicted, Yang will face up to 10 years in prison or more on charges of endangering national security.
Yang is a Chinese-born Australian citizen who lived in New York shortly before his arrest in China. Australia has complained that Chinese authorities have not provided "any explanation or evidence of the charges against him", prompting Chinese embassies on Saturday to reprimand him. in Canberra, the capital of Australia.
Human rights lawyers Mo Shaoping and Shang Baojun will represent Yang when he appears in Thursday's proceedings in Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, which was closed to the public.
Police are standing in front of the courthouse, their presence is increasing, and they are trying to identify the journalists who have been denied entry.
Yang's wife, Yuan Xiaoliang, who has not been able to see him since the couple was suspended at the airport south of Guangzhou in January 2019, applied for a court hearing but was rejected, friends told Reuters.
In his last message to family and friends in Australia before the trial, Yang said in March his health had deteriorated but they should not worry because he was "not afraid".
"If someone wants revenge on me for my documents, please explain to the people inside China what I did, and the importance of writing to the Chinese people," he said, according to a copy of a message seen by Reuters.
Fletcher said a decision could be made today, or a separate hearing.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday that Yang's correspondence with his family in Australia was "deeply emotional" and "very difficult" for him.
Australia wanted a "transparent and open process", Payne told ABC radio.
“We do not interfere in China's legal system. The concerns we have expressed are legitimate, ”he said.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Yang's arrest, China imposed sanctions on trade in Australian products and reacted angrily to its request for an international investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, as well as its 5G ban on telecoms giant Huawei.
Yang has written about Chinese and American politics online as a top blogger, and has written a series of spy novels.
His arrest in January 2019 came at the same time as the Chinese police 'attack on foreign interference and "color-changing".
Yang was previously arrested in 2011 in China on suspicion of involvement in the "Jasmine Revolution" protests and was released three days later.
He wrote to his supporters in Australia after his release that he had previously worked for a Chinese state security company in Hong Kong and Washington, before moving to Australia in 1999.
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