The nation’s leading journalists have banded together to demand for the release of fellow Australian Journalist Cheng Lei from detention by the Chinese government.
Friday marks one year since Ms Cheng was detained and then later formally arrested on charges of “suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas” by Chinese authorities.
The Australian government has expressed concerns for Ms Cheng’s safety and wellbeing, with Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne stating “we are particularly concerned that one year into her detention, there remains a lack of transparency about the reasons for Ms Cheng’s detention”.
On Friday the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) – the union for Australia’s journalists – released an open letter calling for Ms Cheng’s immediate release from Chinese detention and return to Australia.
“We are confident she has done nothing wrong and hold grave concerns for her health, safety and care during her ongoing detention,” the…