Academic once detained in China reveals the harsh conditions Cheng Lei could be facing
Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been detained in Beijing. Source: Facebook
A 10 square metre cell with no window, a mattress on the floor, lights that are never turned off and constant surveillance by secret service officers; these are the conditions Australian journalist Cheng Lei could be facing while she is detained in China.
Earlier this week, China’s foreign ministry revealed that the prominent television presenter was being held on suspicion of “national security” offences, more than three weeks after she was taken into what authorities call “residential surveillance at a designated location”.
Sydney academic Chongyi Feng, who himself was detained by Chinese authorities in a Guangzhou hotel for a week in 2017, says this type of detention is reserved for the most high-level investigations.
“It’s a very notorious form of detention. It can be regarded as the worst one around the world nowadays,” Dr Feng, an associate professor in China studies at the University of Technology Sydney, told SBS News.
“The Chinese authorities created [it] to deal with political dissidents and other government officials who are put under detention, to shield from the outside world at a facility run by the secret police to extract a confession.”
The details of why Ms Cheng, who worked for Chinese state broadcaster CGTV, has been detained are still unclear, with Chinese officials only stating she is “suspected of carrying out illegal activities endangering China’s national security”.
