Australia is concerned about Cheng Lei’s wellbeing and prison conditions. Before the upcoming trial against the journalist, the government calls for demands.
A year and a half after her arrest, Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who worked for China’s state television, will be tried in Beijing on Thursday.
The Australian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday that it had been informed of the date by the Chinese side. The prosecution accuses her of giving state secrets abroad. If convicted, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
The Australian Government required the process to adhere to basic standards and procedural fairness. “Serious concerns” about Cheng Lei’s well-being and detention conditions were repeatedly raised. Australian diplomats last visited her on March 21. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs also requested that diplomats be allowed to participate in the process under consular agreements.
Charge: betrayal of state secrets
The Chinese-born, 47-year-old news presenter, who worked for China’s state-owned foreign broadcaster CGTN, was arrested on August 13, 2020. It was not until six months later that she was formally arrested on charges of betraying state secrets. Her arrest came amid escalating tensions between China and Australia, prompting allegations that Beijing was using it to put pressure on Canberra.
Just one month later, in September 2020, the last two Australian correspondents in China were also forced to flee the country. Chinese authorities had both involved in a “state security case”. It was the studio boss of the ABC television station, Bill Birtles, and the colleague of the “Australian Financial Review” in Shanghai, Mike Smith.
The events came amid growing problems for foreign journalists working in China. Haze Fan, a Chinese staffer at Bloomberg’s Beijing correspondents’ bureau, was also arrested in December. There was similar talk of suspected violations of national security. Her fate remains unclear to this day.
Source: Stern
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