AAP Image/Supplied by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) via Reuters
Australian journalist Cheng Lei has released her first statement since being released by China on Wednesday after being detained for over three years on national security charges. Cheng, 48, was a business television anchor for Chinese state media when she was taken in August 2020 over allegations of sharing state secrets with a foreign nation. “Tight hugs, teary screams, holding my kids in the spring sunshine,” read Cheng’s statement shared on social media. “Trees shimmy from the breeze. I can see the entirety of the sky now! Thank you Aussies.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed her release at a news conference, saying her freedom came after a legal process was completed in China.
