CURRENT CASES
YANG HENGJUN
Dr Yang Hengjun, an Australian writer and academic, was detained in China in August 2019. Accused of espionage, his arrest garnered international attention, particularly against the backdrop of strained China-Australia relations.
Despite widespread calls for clarity and fair legal treatment, China has provided little detail about the nature of Dr Yang’s charges.
Dr Yang is believed to be suffering from kidney cancer, and authorities hold grave concerns for this welfare in prison.
In February 2024 Yang Hengjun was given a two-year suspended death sentence.
ROBERT PETHER
Robert Pether, an Australian engineer, was arrested in Iraq in April 2021 while on a business trip related to a project with the Central Bank of Iraq. His detention, which occurred amidst a contractual dispute, drew significant concern from the international community.
Advocates and family members have raised issues regarding his well-being and the transparency of legal proceedings, underlining the complexities and risks associated with international business endeavors in volatile regions.
gordon ng
Gordon Ng is a Hong Kong-based pro-democracy advocate and member of the so-called ‘Hong Kong 47’ group of activists. Arrested in 2021, Ng was convicted in 2024 under Hong Kong’s controversial National Security Law. He is currently awaiting sentencing.
In spite of the fact that Ng holds Australian citizenship, he has been denied consular assistance in prison by the Hong Kong authorities.
HASAN Askree
Hasan Askree is an Australian citizen who was arbitrarily detained in Pakistan from 2020 to 2023 for writing letters criticising Pakistan’s military leadership.
Hasan suffered grave human rights abuses while in custody. He was freed from detention after his family launched a public campaign in the Australian and Pakistani media.
Since his release, Hasan has been prevented from returning to Australia due to a travel ban.
mohammed munshi
British-Australian mining executive Mo Munshi has been illegally detained in Mongolia since 2015.
In 2018 he was convicted on unsubstantiated financial charges in a highly flawed court process, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The charges arose from a dispute with a local Mongolian investor who sought to expropriate the assets of Munshi’s company.
Munshi served 7 years of his sentence, during which time he was subjected to grievous abuses of his human rights. He was released in 2024. He is currently prohibited from leaving Mongolia under an indefinite travel ban.
cigdem ‘lenna’ aslan
Cigdem Aslan, known as ‘Lenna,’ is a multicultural health worker based in Melbourne.
Lenna was arrested while visiting family in Turkey in September 2024, accused of having links to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Lenna’s family reject these claims, and emphasise that she is simply an active and respected member of Melbourne's Kurdish community.
Lenna’s arrest appears to be part of a broader Turkish crackdown on expressions of Kurdish language and culture within its borders.
osama al-Hasani
Osama Al-Hasani was detained in Morocco on 8 February 2021 and extradited to Saudi Arabia on the basis of historical criminal charges which a Saudi court had already cleared him of.
Friends and family have said that Al-Hasani he was actually being sought by Saudi Arabia due to his political opinions and relationship with Saudi political dissidents. Human Rights Watch has cited the case as an example of authoritarian regimes misusing Interpol’s red notices for political purposes to target critics abroad.
Al-Hasani had spent more than a decade living in Melbourne, and was travelling on his Australian passport when he was detained.
others
There are other Australian citizens who are currently victims of wrongful detention abroad whose cases have not been reported on publicly.
These include at least two Australian citizens confirmed to have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran in recent years.