China Arrests Democracy Advocate Yang Hengjun Following Flight From New York

China has arrested Yang Hengjun, an author and former Chinese diplomat who is now an Australian citizen. He’s seen here in a photo from 2014, taken during a visit to Tibet.

Social Media / Reuters

Updated at 9:42 a.m. ET

Chinese-Australian writer and former diplomat Yang Hengjun has been detained by Chinese authorities, according to the Australian Embassy in Beijing. Friends of Yang say he was taken into custody immediately after flying from New York to China on Saturday, and since then, the democracy advocate’s normally active Twitter feed has fallen silent.

It wasn’t until Wednesday that China confirmed Yang’s detention, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on its website. The department said it is “seeking to clarify the nature of this detention and to obtain consular access to him, in accordance with the bilateral consular agreement.”