Australian journalist Cheng Lei has released her first statement since being released by China on Wednesday after being detained for over three years on national security charges. Cheng, 48, was a business television anchor for Chinese state media when she was taken in August 2020 over allegations of sharing state secrets with a foreign nation. “Tight hugs, teary screams, holding my kids in the spring sunshine,” read Cheng’s statement shared on social media. “Trees shimmy from the breeze. I can see the entirety of the sky now! Thank you Aussies.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed her release at a news conference, saying her freedom came after a legal process was completed in China.
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