Australia has requested that China allow jailed journalist Cheng Lei, who has been detained since 2020, to communicate with his family.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to continuing negotiations with China regarding Ms. Lei’s rights. Australia has also urged that Ms. Lei be handled humanely and with “basic standards of justice.”
“This is something that should happen,” Mr Albanese said. “There has been no transparency in any of these processes at all. The Chinese government needs to do better.”
Ms Lei was apprehended by police in August 2020 and imprisoned on national security grounds. She was accused of illegally giving national secrets to foreign countries.
Beijing had first announced that Ms Lei was imprisoned for national security reasons, but in February 2021, she was arrested on spying allegations.
A closed-door trial was held in March, and the Australian ambassador was barred from attending.
The Daily Telegraph released a documentary in August titled “Disappeared: The Cheng Lei Story.”
The documentary was based on consular reports produced in China by Australian diplomats. During consular visits, Ms. Lei informed Australian diplomats that she was frequently strapped to chairs with wooden boards and forced to share a bed and a bathroom with three other convicts in a tiny cell.
Prior to her arrest, the Chinese-born Australian worked for the Beijing-based television station CGTN.
