Australian Journalist Released From Chinese Prison

Facts

• Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday that journalist Cheng Lei had been reunited with her family in Melbourne, after spending three years in a Chinese jail on espionage charges.¹
• Until her arrest on Aug. 13, 2020, the now 48-year-old was working as a business reporter for China's state-owned English-language TV broadcaster CGTN.²
• Earlier, Beijing had stated that the Australian national had been deported after she served a two-year-and-eleven-month sentence for illegally sharing state secrets overseas.³
• In March 2022, Lei was prosecuted in a closed-door trial that Australian diplomats weren't allowed to attend. No evidence against her was ever published.⁴
• According to Chinese authorities, 'Cheng Lei confessed the crime, pleaded guilty, and accepted the punishment.'⁴
• Despite Lei's return home, China is yet to release another Australian national — Dr. Yann Hengjun — a pro-democracy activist, who was detained in Guangzhou in 2019 on national security charges.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²BBC News, ³China Daily, ⁴The China Project and ⁵The Guardian.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by Daily Mail. The nightmare is finally over for Cheng Lei, who spent over a thousand days imprisoned in one of China's infamous black jails, where she wasn't allowed to receive more than ten hours of sunlight a year or speak with her daughters. Lei's conviction and mistreatment during custody further exemplifies the oppressive tactics routinely employed by the Chinese regime.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. Cheng Lei was deported from China after serving the full length of her sentence. Her conviction by the Chinese judicial system was a strong sign that anyone who violates Chinese laws can't expect to dodge punishment based on their nationality. Lei's detention and release have nothing to do with bilateral relations with Australia.

Predictions