Real reason Australian journalist was detained in China for three years after she was accused of espionage

An Australian journalist detained in China for three years claims she was stopped over allegations she breached a media embargo by just “a few minutes”.

Cheng Lei was reunited with her family in Melbourne last Wednesday after spending more than 1,000 days behind bars following her arrest on August 13, 2020.

The mother-of-two, who worked for Chinese state media CGTN and previously CNBC, was accused of ‘illegally providing state secrets abroad’.

She has firmly denied the allegations and revealed the real reason for her arrest in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday.

The former newsreader also opened up about her experiences behind bars, spending her days under surveillance and feeling like she was being ‘buried alive’.

Australian journalist Cheng Lei (pictured center), who has been held by authorities in China for the past three years, has revealed why she was jailed

Ms Lei claimed that state authorities accused her of sharing a government briefing minutes before it was to be released.

The document was provided to Ms. Lei under embargo, meaning the information could not be released publicly before the designated time.

Ms Lei said her prison sentence was intended to give the impression she had done something wrong.

“The purpose of RSDL (detention) and all subsequent conversations and writing of self-assessments is to make that point, that in China that is a major sin,” she said.

“That you have harmed the motherland and that the authority of the state has been eroded because of you.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a speech last week that Ms. Lei had been sentenced to two years and 11 months by a local court in China.

The full extent of the allegations against Ms. Lei has not been made public.

The mother of two was arrested in August 2020 while working for Chinese state media network CGTN.

Ms. Lei recalled the moment she was called in by her supervisor, thinking she would be discussing an upcoming series.

“I get to the big meeting room and there are 20 people there,” she said.

‘And then someone stands up, shows their badge and says you’re wanted.

“They immediately take my things and I am escorted to my apartment, where they had already arranged with the security of my compound to go through the garage to my apartment, where they have been looking for evidence all day.”

She said her detention was intended to make her feel isolated and desperate before she was forced to spend 12 hours a day in her cell.

Ms Lei (pictured) arrived home in Melbourne last Wednesday after being accused by Chinese authorities of sharing state secrets with a foreign organization

Ms Lei (pictured) was a news anchor for CGTN, a Chinese state broadcaster, and was taken into custody by security officials while at work in August 2020.

She spent six months in jail and was not allowed to go outside during this period.

Ms Lei said the 15 minutes of “fresh air” she received from security involved opening a window at the top of the complex with the curtains still drawn, with a security guard standing nearby.

She described her detention as a state of being ‘buried alive’.

She said despite her freedom, she is still adjusting to life in Melbourne, as she tries to distance herself from her fears that authorities could detain her again.