Like Ms Cheng's other friends and family, Mr Coyle says he still has no idea what she is supposed to have done to warrant this treatment."I would call upon the relevant authorities in China to resolve this awful situation as quickly as possible," he tells the BBC. Cheng Lei was working as a business reporter at China's state-run English language television station CGTN when she was suddenly grabbed by state security officers on 13 August 2020, and later accused of "illegally supplying state secrets overseas".
Her first six months were spent in solitary confinement, being placed in stress positions and, though being interrogated, with no access to a lawyer. Since then, she has been held with other prisoners.
