China: Beijing court sentences prominent journalist Dong Yuyu to 7 years imprisonment over espionage

Veteran journalist Dong Yuyu accused of info leak to Japan given jail term

A Beijing court has sentenced Dong Yuyu, a veteran journalist from the state-run Guangming Daily, to seven years in prison on charges of espionage, according to his family. The 62-year-old journalist was detained in February 2022 along with a Japanese diplomat while he was lunching at a restaurant in Beijing.

While the diplomat was released after a few hours of questioning, Dong remained in custody and was later charged with espionage. The court’s decision was confirmed by Dong’s family, who expressed shock over the outcome.

A statement shared with AFP by the journalist’s family said, “The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court convicted Yuyu of espionage, a crime that requires that the prosecution prove that the defendant knowingly acted on behalf of ‘espionage organizations‘ and their agents.”

According to the judgment, the Japanese diplomats Dong met with, including then-ambassador Hideo Tarumi and current Shanghai-based chief diplomat Masaru Okada, were named as agents of an “espionage organization”, the statement added.

It further said, “We are shocked that the Chinese authorities would blatantly deem a foreign embassy as an ‘espionage organization’ and accuse the former Japanese ambassador and his fellow diplomats of being spies.”

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, China is the world’s leading jailer of journalists, with 44 reporters imprisoned as of December 2023.

Who is Dong Yuyu?

Dong has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist, contributing to international publications such as The New York Times and The Financial Times. He was also awarded the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 2006-2007 and served as a visiting fellow at Keio University in Japan and a visiting professor at Hokkaido University. His work and professional background have earned him recognition internationally, but his arrest and conviction reflect the increasing restrictions on press freedom in China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.

Dong’s sentencing highlights the ongoing crackdown on civil liberties in China, where media outlets are tightly controlled by the government and journalists face growing risks, especially those working with foreign media.

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.

The post China: Beijing court sentences prominent journalist Dong Yuyu to 7 years imprisonment over espionage appeared first on PGurus.