Reporter Cheng Lei from Australia was just released from Chinese custody
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In a significant development, Beijing has released Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist who had been detained in China since August 2020. Her detention had been a focal point in the strained relations between Australia and China. Cheng Lei was charged with supplying state secrets overseas, an accusation that garnered international attention and concern.
The Chinese authorities alleged that Cheng had violated the confidentiality clause signed with her employing entity, the state broadcaster CGTN, and illegally provided state secret content she learned at work to an overseas institution using her mobile phone. This charge was met with widespread scrutiny and called into question the principles of justice, procedural fairness, and humane treatment.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Cheng's return, marking the end of a protracted and challenging period. Throughout Cheng's detention, Canberra had relentlessly campaigned for her release and urged Beijing to adhere to fundamental standards of justice and humane treatment.
China's Ministry of State Security stated that Cheng Lei was deported after serving a sentence of two years and 11 months in prison for illegally providing state secrets overseas. Wang Wenbin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, emphasized that the sentence and the treatment of Cheng Lei were conducted in accordance with the law, ensuring her rights, including consular rights, were protected.
Cheng Lei's background is marked by a unique journey. Born in Hunan province, she migrated to Australia as a child. In 2012, she made a decision to return to China and joined the state broadcaster CGTN. Now, at 48 years old, Cheng Lei has been reunited with her family in Melbourne, Australia. Her joy was palpable when she took to social media to express her gratitude: "Tight hugs, teary screams, holding my kids in the spring sunshine. Trees shimmy from the breeze. I can see the entirety of the sky now! Thank you Aussies."
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