By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who had been detained on national security charges in Beijing for more than three years, returned home on Wednesday after being released, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Cheng, who was tried in secret in March 2022, arrived in Melbourne and has been reunited with her two children and family, Albanese told a press conference.
“(The) government has been seeking this for a long period of time and her return will be warmly welcomed not just by her family and friends but by all Australians,” he said.
Her release follows the completion of legal processes in China, he said. There was no immediate comment from the judiciary in China.
Cheng, 48, was a business television anchor for Chinese state television when she was detained in August 2020 for allegedly sharing state secrets with another country.
Australia had repeatedly raised concerns about her detention, which came as China widened blocks on Australian exports amid a diplomatic dispute that is gradually easing.
“She is a very strong and resilient person,” said Albanese, who said he has spoken to Cheng.
In a letter to Australia released publicly in August, Cheng wrote of missing her children aged 11 and 14, who have been living in Melbourne with their grandmother while she was detained.
“In my cell, the sunlight shines through the window but I can stand in it for only 10 hours a year,” she wrote in what she called a “love letter to 25 million people”, her first public statement since her arrest.
“I haven’t seen a tree in three years. I relive every bushwalk, river, lake, beach with swims and picnics and psychedelic sunsets. I secretly mouth the names of places I’ve visited and driven through.”
Albanese said Australia “continued to advocate” for another detained Australian journalist, Yang Hengjun, who has been held since January 2019.
Albanese said he expected to visit China this year and told reporters dialogue with China was “a good thing”.
There had been public pressure on Albanese to secure Cheng’s release before any official visit to Australia’s biggest trading partner.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in SydneyWriting by Alasdair PalEditing by Clarence Fernandez and Miral Fahmy)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.