National Press Club Statement On Freedom For Australian Journalist Cheng Lei

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Oct 11, 2023, 10:31 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Eileen O'Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei from prison in China after three years of unjust detention.

"We are overjoyed for Cheng Lei and her family that she has been released by the Chinese government and has returned to her home in Australia to be reunited with her two children. She should never have been charged or detained. Cheng, a business anchor for China's state-run English-language channel CGTN, was accused of providing state secrets to an overseas organization.

"The Chinese government tried the case in secret and even barred the Australian ambassador from attending the beginning of the trial. China, then, repeatedly delayed the verdict before saying in a statement Cheng had been deported. Cheng had been held in unjust detention for more than three years.

"We see similarities between the process in the case of Cheng and that of Chinese journalist Yuyu Dong, who was abruptly detained in February 2022 by Chinese authorities and recently tried on similarly unclear charges. His trial has also been held in secret and the government has delayed issuing a verdict. We call as well for Mr. Dong to be released on time served. This would be a welcome gesture of goodwill from Beijing, in advance of Chinese President Xi Jinping's anticipated attendance at the upcoming APEC Summit in San Francisco in mid-November."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes a more participatory democracy through a free and independent press and is the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for the National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club