Australian author Yang Hengjun, an Australian citizen and author, was reportedly seized on January 19 during a visit to China, as he attempted to board a flight from Guangzhuo to Shanghai. Yang was reportedly interrogated for 12 hours before disappearing into undisclosed state custody. Yang’s wife was reported with him, but was released after the interrogation, although it is unclear if she is allowed to leave the country. Yang Hengjun who is originally from China, became an Australian citizen in 2000 and has spent the last two years in New York City as a visiting scholar at Columbia University. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, issued this statement on the detention “The Chinese authorities gave formal notification to our Embassy in Beijing last night that they have detained Mr Yang Hengjun, an Australian citizen. We will continue to make representations to China to ensure that this matter is dealt with transparently and fairly. Our Embassy in Beijing will meet with Chinese authorities this morning to seek further clarification of the nature of this detention and to arrange consular access at the earliest possible opportunity, in accordance with the bilateral consular agreement.”
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