FILE - Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, attends a public event in Beijing on Aug. 12, 2020. The Australian partner of the journalist who has been detained in China for nearly two years said Thursday, June 2, 2022, she is being denied the chance to speak with her family and consular staff, and her health is declining due to a poor prison diet.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Cheng Lei
SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian partner of a journalist who has been detained in China for nearly two years says she is being denied the chance to speak with her family and consular staff, and her health is declining due to a poor prison diet. Journalist Cheng Lei is an Australian who was born in China. She was first detained in August 2020 on charges of suspicion of sharing state secrets.
In March, she was tried in Beijing, with Australian diplomats denied permission to attend the proceedings. Since the trial, Chinese authorities have deferred announcing a verdict.
Cheng worked as a business journalist for a Chinese state broadcaster. Her detention came during a time of deteriorating diplomatic relations between China and Australia.
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