Journalist Cheng Lei faces further delays to her case and remains in a Beijing jail

The Chinese-Australian journalist who has been detained in a Beijing jail for almost three years has suffered another setback.

Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who has been held in a Beijing jail since August 2020. Picture: AFP

Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei’s quest for freedom has suffered another major setback, with the verdict in her case delayed for a fifth time.

The mother-of-two has been detained in a Beijing jail since August 2020 and was due to have the verdict in her case handed down in April, but The Australian understands it has been pushed back again for another three months, meaning she will now have to wait until at least July to learn her fate.

Cheng’s partner, Nick Coyle, who lives in Port Moresby, said it was “deeply frustrating” that she faced yet another postponement.

“It’s disappointing for Lei and the children … the future remains uncertain,” he said.

“I would certainly call on all parties to find a way to resolve the current situation as expeditiously and compassionately as possible.”

The 47-year-old journalist was detained nearly three years ago by the Chinese Ministry of State Security after being charged with providing state secrets to foreign organisations.

She has been anxiously awaiting a verdict which was initially meant to be handed down in March last year.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said there were serious concerns over the repeated delays to resolving Cheng’s imprisonment.

“The Australian government is deeply concerned about the ongoing delays in the case of Ms Cheng Lei and will continue to advocate for her at the highest levels,” he said.

“We continue to call for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment, in accordance with international norms, and for her to be reunited with her family in Australia.”

Her two children – her 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son – live with Cheng’s mother in Melbourne and have not seen or spoken to their mother since she was detained. Mr Coyle is not the children’s father.

Prior to Cheng’s arrest she had been working as a journalist in Asia for about 20 years, including in Singapore, before she moved on to work at the state-run English-language channel, China Global Television Network, in Beijing.

Her last visit by Australian consular officials was on April 26.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan recently visited China and said he would not be raising Cheng’s case with Chinese officials, however that changed and he said he had spoken about her plight with the most senior official from China’s ministry of foreign affairs, Ma Zhaoxu.

“On a couple of occasions, I raised the matters surrounding those people (Cheng and Australian writer Yang Hengjun) and said it would be in the interests of both countries if the matter could be resolved as soon as possible and if they could be returned to Australia,” he told reporters upon returning to Australia.

“He said it was helpful that I raised it and that he would look further into the matter.”

A spokesman from the WA premier’s office last week told The Australian there was originally no meeting scheduled between the premier and the vice minister, but this later changed.

“The premier agreed to accept the invitation and after seeking advice from the office of Australian foreign affairs minister Penny Wong, he took the opportunity to raise the cases of Ms Cheng Lei and Dr Yang with Vice Minister Ma, as was appropriate,” he said.

Dr Yang, a writer and democracy advocate, was detained at Guangzhou airport on January 19, 2019, after being charged with breaching China’s national security laws.

Despite Mr McGowan discussing the cases, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews refused to do so during his four-day trip in March when he also met with officials in China.

He said at the time the situation was too “sensitive”.

“I just want to make it very clear, that would not be something that I would raise because they are deeply sensitive matters,” Mr Andrews said.