Taiwanese activist Yang Zhiyuan has been sentenced to 9 years by the Chinese Communist Party for allegedly engaging in separatist activities. The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China harshly condemned the secret sentencing of Yang Zhiyuan to 9 years in prison by the CCP under the charge of “splitting the country,” strongly demanding that the CCP promptly clarify the situation and once again reminding the people to carefully consider the necessity of traveling to the mainland.
Yang Zhiyuan, a Taiwanese activist and deputy chairman of the Taiwan Nationalist Party, was arrested in August 2022 by the CCP for engaging in “Taiwan independence separatist activities.” Recently, following the CCP’s publication of the “22 Punishments for Pro-Independence,” Yang Zhiyuan was sentenced to 9 years by the Wenzhou court for being a “Taiwan independence leader” involved in the crime of splitting the country.
On the 5th, the Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China issued a press release stating that the sentencing of Yang Zhiyuan to 9 years’ imprisonment by the CCP on the charge of “splitting the country” is baseless and slanderous, lacking human rights protection throughout the judicial process, and resulting in a ridiculous outcome that does not meet the minimum requirements of a civilized world’s legal procedures. The Council strongly condemns this and demands the immediate public release of the verdict and the evidence used for sentencing.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan explained that since Yang Zhiyuan was unlawfully arrested by the mainland authorities in August 2022, the government has openly expressed multiple times and communicated through cross-strait channels to the mainland that there were no legal issues in the Yang Zhiyuan case, and the CCP must immediately release him to Taiwan. However, the CCP shamelessly labeled him as a “Taiwan independence leader,” implementing authoritarian measures of “better to kill a hundred by mistake than to let one go,” chillingly.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan stated that the people of Taiwan have a democratic and free political system, and the accusations against Yang Zhiyuan by the mainland are essentially accusing the daily lives of the vast majority of Taiwanese. The goal of the CCP is to intimidate the entire Taiwanese population through this case, falsely punishing under the name of combating Taiwan independence while extending its jurisdiction.
The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council pointed out that the verdict in this case precisely validates the government’s repeated reminder to the people that the CCP’s “22 Punishments for Pro-Independence” are targeted at all Taiwanese people. If the CCP desires, any Taiwanese person can be convicted as a Taiwan independence supporter. Reflecting on the outcome of Yang Zhiyuan’s trial and the recent defenses by the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office claiming that the “22 Punishments for Pro-Independence” are only aimed at “a very small number of die-hard Taiwan independence elements” and are for “precisely targeted punishment,” just further exposes CCP’s deception and lies to the Taiwanese people.
“The two sides of the strait differ greatly in political systems, freedom of speech and thought, and rational thinking. The CCP has long used both soft and hard approaches to lure Taiwanese to the mainland, with a few local collaborators and internet influencers enticed by the CCP continuously echoing its demands, advocating for Taiwanese to develop ties with the mainland, attempting to weaken the vigilance of the Taiwanese people and confuse their perceptions, disregarding the personal safety of the people when heading to the mainland; their intentions are questionable,” emphasized the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan reiterated that this case has exposed to the Taiwanese people the hypocritical nature of the mainland’s policy of promoting integration with Taiwan. Currently, the CCP has set up a reporting mailbox for Taiwan independence on its official website, encouraging private reporting, causing every Chinese person in the mainland to be at risk. People should carefully consider the necessity of traveling to the mainland. If there is a genuine need to go to the mainland, it is essential to be aware of the different cross-strait regulations and systems, and register on the “Cross-Strait Dynamic Registration System for Taiwanese Going to Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau” at the Mainland Affairs Council before departure to facilitate the government in providing necessary assistance promptly to ensure the protection of their rights.