In an interview with Sky News Australia, Nick Coyle, the long-time boyfriend of detained Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei, expressed serious concerns about her failing health behind bars.
Cheng was a leading business news anchor on Chinese state broadcaster CGTN before Beijing authorities detained her on charges of “illegally supplying state secrets overseas” in August 2020.
Coyle said in the interview that he was concerned about a “range of health issues” Cheng has been experiencing throughout her detention, exacerbated by food restrictions.
“There were excuses given because of Covid and food restrictions. Now, there have been no food restrictions in Beijing, I talk to people there literally every day,” he said.
“So the idea that the detention center couldn’t get adequate food is just not acceptable.”
According to Coyle, due to rigorous Covid-19 rules, Cheng’s monthly consular visits had also been halted since April 30.
Coyle said, “These monthly consular visits have literally been what’s kept her going for 20 months. She’s been able to make no phone calls with anybody, she’s had maybe three visits from her lawyer to prepare for the trial.”
“She’s not had one phone call with family or her children. Nothing.”
The details of the allegations against Cheng have not been made public, and observers have expressed worry about the secretive court process.
According to Coyle, Cheng “wasn’t involved in politics,” but she may have been targeted because she was a high-profile Australian in China.
Coyle, who is also the head of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, said, “The idea she was focusing on the political issues in Australia and China — she wasn’t. She’s a straight-up business reporter.”
According to Coyle, Cheng actively engaged in Beijing’s Australian community in her spare time.
When asked if that put a target on her back, Coyle replied, “Who knows, I mean, she was extraordinarily giving of her time to the Australian community.”
In March, Chinese officials barred Graham Fletcher, Australia’s ambassador to China, from observing Cheng’s trial, which he described as “deeply concerning.”
Coyle said, “We can have no confidence in the validity of a process which is conducted in secret.”
“That is part of the reason why we’re so concerned because we have no basis on which to understand why she’s been detained.”
The court deferred its verdict on the case of the detained journalist, which may include life in prison in the most extreme cases.
Cheng’s imprisonment came amid rapidly worsening ties between Canberra and Beijing. Human rights organizations fear that Beijing is using her situation as an example of “hostage diplomacy.”
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Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
