The son of Dong Yuyu, a Chinese journalist in prison, is asking for his father’s release after he was sentenced to seven years for spying. Dong Yuyu was taken by the police in February 2022 while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. His son, Dong Yifu, spoke at the National Press Club in Washington and said his dad plans to appeal his conviction. He argued that the meetings with the diplomat were about journalism, not spying.
“It’s about press freedom and human rights,” said Dong Yifu. China’s Foreign Ministry has not responded to requests for comments on this case.
Dong Yuyu used to be a top editor at Guangming Daily, a newspaper that has become less open to new ideas over the years. He wrote about democracy and political reform, but those topics are now discouraged by the government. Dong Yuyu had also studied at Harvard University and in Japan.
His arrest shocked many in China, especially journalists and diplomats, because it’s normal for reporters to meet with diplomats when gathering news. His son mentioned that in court, it was revealed that eight meetings with Japanese diplomats were used as evidence against his father.
In November, a Chinese court sentenced him to seven years for espionage. The former U.S. Ambassador, Nicholas Burns, stated that the conviction was unfair.
Japan’s Assistant Foreign Secretary, Masashi Mizobuchi, said that all meetings at the Japanese Embassy in China are standard diplomatic work. The Japanese government expressed concern that the ruling would harm friendly exchanges between people in China and Japan.
Despite being in prison, Dong Yuyu is staying healthy. His son said he does 200 push-ups and leg raises every day, but he only gets a few hours of sunlight each year and is not allowed to see his wife. Dong Yuyu can meet with his lawyer once a month, who brings him letters from his wife. His father also wrote a 45-page letter for his appeal.
Recently, the U.S. State Department called for Dong Yuyu’s immediate release. Reporters Without Borders, an organization promoting press freedom, reported that China has more than 100 journalists in prison and often accuses them of espionage to silence them.
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