‘I pray for her’: Australian broadcaster Cheng Lei no closer to release a year after being detained in China

Friends rally support from Canberra to Washington to ask Chinese government to show compassion to Lei who is separated from her children

Two months before she was detained by Chinese authorities on opaque national security grounds, the Australian journalist Cheng Lei was catching up with her colleagues from the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN) for dinner.

Gathering at a Japanese restaurant in Beijing, the group enjoyed multiple courses and a few drinks, while sharing banter about work.