Chinese Australian writer fears dying in Beijing detention after being diagnosed with a kidney cyst

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Chinese Australian writer and democracy blogger Yang Hengjun has told his family he fears he will die in a Beijing detention center after being diagnosed with a kidney cyst, prompting supporters to demand his release for medical treatment. Yang has been detained in China since 2019, when he arrived in Guangzhou from New York with his wife and teenage stepdaughter. In a message that has circulated among his family and friends, Yang says a doctor told him that the cause of what felt like muscle strain was a 10-centimeter (4-inch) cyst on a kidney. Supporters have urged the Australian government to secure Yang’s release to Australia or at least a conditional release for medical treatment outside the detention center.