By Laurie Chen and James Pomfret
BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) -A Beijing courtroom sentenced veteran Chinese language state media journalist Dong Yuyu on Friday to seven years in jail for espionage, his household stated in an announcement, calling the decision a grave injustice.
Police within the Chinese language capital detained the 62-year-old former Guangming Every day editor and journalist in February 2022 whereas he was lunching with a Japanese diplomat, the U.S. Nationwide Press Membership stated in an announcement. He was later charged with espionage.
“Sentencing Yuyu to seven years in prison on no evidence declares to the world the bankruptcy of the justice system in China,” Dong’s household stated in an announcement offered to Reuters.
“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.”
The household added that within the courtroom judgment, Japanese diplomats whom Dong met have been “specifically named as agents of an ‘espionage organisation,’ which is the Japanese embassy in Beijing”.
Dong’s conviction implied each Chinese language citizen could be “expected to know that the Chinese government may consider those embassies to be ‘espionage organisations'”, it stated, inflicting a chilling impact.
Police guarded the courtroom on Friday, with seven police vehicles parked close by, and journalists have been requested to depart the realm. A U.S. diplomat stated that they had been barred from attending the listening to.
Dong has been detained in a Beijing jail since a closed-court listening to in July 2023, the press membership stated in September.
“Chinese authorities must reverse this unjust verdict, and protect the right of journalists to work freely and safely in China,” stated Beh Lih Yi, Asia program supervisor on the Committee to Shield Journalists.
“Dong Yuyu should be reunited with his family immediately.”
Dong recurrently had in-person exchanges with diplomats from numerous embassies and journalists.
The Japanese diplomat he met, certainly one of two he had recurrently met prior to now, was additionally detained for a number of hours, spurring a criticism from Japan’s overseas ministry.
On the time, a Chinese language overseas ministry spokesperson stated the diplomat was engaged in actions “inconsistent with their capacity” in China. The diplomat was later launched.
A Nieman Fellow at Harvard College in 2007, Dong was a visiting scholar and visiting professor at Keio College and Hokkaido College in Japan, his household stated in an announcement in April 2023.
He joined the Guangming Every day, affiliated to the ruling Communist Celebration, in 1987, after graduating from Peking College legislation faculty, and was the deputy editor of its commentary part.
He wrote opinion articles in Chinese language media and liberal tutorial journals on matters from authorized reforms to social points, and co-edited a e book selling the rule of legislation in China.
His articles advocated reasonable reforms whereas avoiding direct criticism of President Xi Jinping.
His household had initially stored information of his detention personal within the hope that expenses might be diminished or dropped, however have been advised in March 2023 that he would stand trial, they stated of their assertion.
Non-government our bodies (NGOs) advocating press freedom have referred to as for his launch, with greater than 700 journalists, teachers and NGO employees signing a web based petition for him to be freed.
“Dong Yuyu is a talented reporter and author whose work has long been respected by colleagues,” stated Ann Marie Lipinski, curator of the Nieman Basis for Journalism at Harvard.
“We stand with many in hoping for his release and return to his family.”
In February, a Beijing courtroom handed a suspended dying sentence to Australian author and pro-democracy blogger, Yang Hengjun, on espionage expenses.
