PEN Sydney congratulates Cheng Lei, who is set to become the next president of PEN
Melbourne. The organisation will ratify her appointment at its next AGM in December.
Lei is a journalist, playwright, and broadcaster who was detained by Chinese authorities in
August 2020 and placed under “residential surveillance”. This form of detention allows
Chinese officials to keep detainees in secret custody without charge and deny visits by
family members or lawyers. The International Federation of Journalists described her
detention as “without cause or reason” and yet another instance of Chinese government
interference with press freedoms. Lei was formally arrested in early 2021 on spurious
espionage charges and was not released until October 2023.
Since returning to Australia, Lei has published a memoir recounting her time in prison,
Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom received numerous awards, including the
Australian Press Council’s Press Freedom Medal. Last year, Lei marked Day of the
Imprisoned Writer with PEN Sydney, joining author Benjamin Law at Gleebooks for a
conversation reflecting on her experiences.
“PEN Sydney congratulates Cheng Lei on her position as the new president of Melbourne
PEN. A journalist, playwright and broadcaster, Lei spent three years in a Chinese gaol on
trumped-up charges of treason. Her experience of appalling victimisation will bring a
deeper understanding of the importance of PEN’s mission of advocacy on behalf of
writers, playwrights, poets, journalists and photographers who are falsely accused of
crimes against humanity.” – Dr Sandy Symons, President PEN Sydney.