Court officials in Beijing have denied Australia’s ambassador to China, Graham Fletcher, entry to the closed-door trial of Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei on March 31. A court official at the No. 2 People’s Intermediate Court in Beijing reportedly told Fletcher that he could not enter because the court case involved “state secrets.” “This is deeply concerning, unsatisfactory and regrettable,” Fletcher told Bloomberg reporters after being turned away from the court. “We can have no confidence in the validity of a process which is conducted in secret. Nevertheless, we will continue to advocate strongly for Ms. Cheng Lei’s rights and interests.” Bloomberg and The Guardian reported that plain clothed police roped off areas outside the No. 2 People’s Intermediate Court in Beijing, and were checking journalists’ credentials before moving them away. Cheng worked as a news anchor for CGTN, the international arm of the Chinese regime’s state broadcaster, CCTV, before she was being detained in …