Chinese dissident vanishes as he tries to fly to his sick wife in US
By Chris Buckley New York Times,Updated February 2, 2021, 6:43 p.m.
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An undated handout photo showed Yang Maodong, a prominent democracy activist in China, in 2019 soon after his release from prison.VIA THE NEW YORK TIIMES/NYT
After learning that his wife had cancer, Yang Maodong, a prominent democracy activist in China, rushed to get a visa and air ticket to join her in the United States.
But Yang never landed there.
Border inspection officers at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai stopped him from joining a flight to San Francisco last week, his elder sister and friends said. âI must immediately get to the United States and pour all my energies into caring for her,â Yang had written in an open letter to Chinese leaders a day before his planned flight. He wrote that his wife âhas given everything for me, and today itâs my turn to give everything for her.â
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After learning that his wife had cancer, Yang Maodong, a prominent democracy activist in China, rushed to get a visa and air ticket to join her in the United States.
But Mr Yang never landed there.
Border inspection officers at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai stopped him from joining a flight to San Francisco last week, his elder sister and friends said. “I must immediately get to the United States and pour all my energies into caring for her,” Mr Yang had written in an open letter to Chinese leaders a day before his planned flight. He wrote that his wife “has given everything for me, and today it’s my turn to give everything for her.”
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A Chinese Dissident Tried to Fly to His Sick Wife in the U.S. Then He Vanished.
Friends and family have lost contact with Yang Maodong, who was stopped at a Shanghai airport from joining a flight to San Francisco.
Yang Maodong in 2019 soon after his release from prison. His case may become an early sign of how Beijing and the Biden administration handle contentious human rights issues.
But Mr. Yang never landed there.
Border inspection officers at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai stopped him from joining a flight to San Francisco last week, his elder sister and friends said. “I must immediately get to the United States and pour all my energies into caring for her,” Mr. Yang had written in an open letter to Chinese leaders a day before his planned flight. He wrote that his wife “has given everything for me, and today it’s my turn to give everything for her.”