A Chinese Australian writer detained in Beijing since January was charged on Thursday and moved to a different detention center in the Chinese capital, his lawyer said.
Australian lawyer Rob Stary said he had been told by Yang Hengjun's family and friends of the charge and was seeking confirmation from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Stary said he did not know what the 53-year-old visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York had been charged with.
"It's an offense under their state security laws. We expect it will be some form of espionage or something of that nature," Stary said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade later said its Beijing Embassy was seeking confirmation from China authorities that Yang had been transferred to a Beijing detention center. The embassy had been notified of the transfer by Yang's family.
"Australia continues to have consular access and have again asked that he be granted immediate access to his lawyers," the department said in a statement.
The Australian government reported in January that Yang was being held in a type of home detention, although the accommodation was not his. China said at time that Yang's case was being handled by the Beijing city branch of the national intelligence bureau.
Stary said he was transferred to a national security department facility when he was charged.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed the national security department was handling Yang's case.
Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday: "At present, the case is under investigation."
"The Chinese national security department handles the case in strict accordance with law and fully protects Yang Jun's lawful rights," Lu said, referring to Yang by a name he is also known by.
"I have nothing else to offer at the moment," Lu added.
He has been detained since Jan. 19, when he arrived from New York at China's Guangzhou Airport with his wife, Xiaoliang Yuan, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter.
China in January said Yang had been detained for allegedly endangering national security, a vague charge frequently leveled at critics of the ruling Communist Party.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Payne said last week that her government had raised Yang's case "regularly with China at senior levels."
"We have requested his case be treated fairly, transparently, and expeditiously," Payne said in a statement.
"Australia has asked for clarification regarding the reasons for his detention and we have said that if he is being detained purely for his political views, then he should be released," she added.
Associated Press researcher Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
