Chinese Journalist Sentenced to Seven Years for Espionage

A former journalist for Chinese state media received a seven-year prison sentence for espionage on Friday, a development confirmed by his family to the BBC. Dong Yuyu, 62, who has been held since 2022, was known for his involvement in academic and journalistic communities in the United States and Japan, and frequently engaged with foreign diplomats. His arrest by police occurred in Beijing while he was having lunch with a Japanese diplomat. When he was taken into custody, Dong held a senior position at the Guangming Daily, a prominent newspaper associated with the Chinese Communist Party. Dong’s arrest took place in February 2022, specifically the day after the Beijing Winter Olympics concluded. He was apprehended at a restaurant where he frequently met international acquaintances, while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat. The diplomat was also taken into custody but was released hours later following objections from the Japanese government. In the course of his professional duties, Dong routinely met with fellow journalists and foreign diplomats. His family stated that a court judgment identified two additional Japanese diplomats Dong had met as “agents of an espionage organisation,” referring to the Japanese embassy. His family’s statement expressed: “We are shocked that the Chinese authorities would blatantly deem a foreign embassy an ‘espionage organization'”. They further commented, “Today’s verdict is a grave injustice not only to Yuyu and his family but also to every freethinking Chinese journalist and every ordinary Chinese committed to friendly engagement with the world.” According to Reuters, the Beijing court where Dong received his sentence on Friday was heavily secured. Journalists were instructed to depart, and a diplomat reported that they were denied entry to the hearing. The US National Press Club issued a statement on Tuesday, prior to Dong’s sentencing on Thanksgiving night in the US, noting that “In the past, the Chinese court system has selected Western holidays to release news as it is a time when the public is focused on other matters.” The press club indicated that although Dong’s trial concluded in July 2023, he remained in detention without a verdict and was prevented from seeing his family. Human rights organizations and proponents have condemned his conviction and demanded his release. Beh Lih Yi, Asia programme manager at the Committee to Protect Journalists, informed Reuters that “Chinese authorities must reverse this unjust verdict, and protect the right of journalists to work freely and safely in China.” She added, “Dong Yuyu should be reunited with his family immediately.” After completing his studies at Peking University’s law school in 1987, Dong began working at the Guangming Daily. A family statement reveals that he was among the tens of thousands of students involved in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, subsequently receiving a sentence of hard labor, yet retaining his position at the newspaper. He ultimately advanced to deputy head of the editorial department and was recognized as one of the most pro-reform voices within the Guangming Daily, the statement further noted. Dong was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University in 2007, contributed multiple articles to the New York Times, and previously served as a visiting fellow and professor at various Japanese universities.