Actors and writers among 62 Aussies detained
Stage actor Karm Gillespie and writer Dr Yang Hengjun are among Australians behind bars in China.
Stage actor Karm Gilespie and writer Yang Hengjun are among 62 Australians behind bars in China.
Most of the Australians being held at the end of 2019 were on drug trafficking or fraud charges.
Karm Gilespie, 55, a stage actor who once had a recurring role on Australian police show Blue Heelers, was arrested with 7.5kg of the drug ice in his luggage at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in December 2013, according to reports by Chinese media published on Saturday.
Mr Gilespie was sentenced to death last week amid a deterioration of Australia’s bilateral relationship with China after the Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
China’s state-controlled media has openly linked recent bans on Australian beef imports and a new 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley to the Morrison government’s push for the inquiry.
But Trade Minister Simon Birmingham on Sunday said the sentencing of Mr Gilespie should not be linked to ongoing friction between the countries.
“This is very distressing for Mr Gilespie and his loved ones, and our government will continue to provide consular assistance,” Senator Birmingham told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program.
Among the known cases of Australians detained in China are former diplomat turned writer Yang Hengjun, who was arrested in January last year under suspicion of espionage.
But Dr Hengjun insists he is innocent and has never been a spy for any government. He has not been allowed access to lawyers or to see family.
In 2016, three Australian citizens, including Melbourne-based head of international VIP programs Jason O’Connor, Jerry Xuan and Pan Dan, were among Crown Resort employees detained in China on accusations of promoting gambling.
The trio faced potential jail terms of about 16 months with Mr O’Connor believed to be held in Shanghai First Detention Centre, in Pudong satellite city.
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