China Finalises Seven-Year Sentence for Journalist Dong Yuyu

November 14, 2025 – China – 

A Beijing high court has officially rejected the appeal of veteran journalist Dong Yuyu, upholding his seven-year prison term on espionage charges, his family and press-freedom groups say. Dong, aged 63, was arrested in February 2022 while lunching with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing, and has been held in custody ever since.

Dong is a long-time editor and columnist at the official newspaper Guangming Daily, affiliated with the ruling Chinese Communist Party, and has also been a visiting scholar in Japan and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. He was formally charged with espionage in April 2023 and convicted in November 2024; the appeal, submitted soon after, has now been definitively rejected.

According to his son, Dong Yifu, the court provided zero explanation when dismissing the appeal, and the family maintains that there was no viable evidence against Dong. They called the decision “an act of persecution”. International observers say the case signals a wider crackdown on journalists and intellectuals in China who engage with foreign nationals. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the ruling as a “travesty of justice,” asserting that talking with diplomats is routine journalistic work — not espionage.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated that the case was handled in line with Chinese law, stating that “those who violate the law will surely be held accountable.” Meanwhile, the family and rights groups say Dong has not been allowed meaningful contact with his wife or legal team, and that his detention regime raises concerns.

The verdict comes as China renews emphasis on national security and strict control over foreign interactions. For independent journalists and academics inside China, the message is clear — even professional engagement with foreign contacts may now carry grave risk. The case has drawn condemnation from the United States and global press-freedom advocates, who have called for Dong’s immediate and unconditional release.

Reference – 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20251113_17/#:~:text=A%20Chinese%20court%20has%20dismissed,court’s%20sentencing%20of%20Dong%20Yuyu.

China upholds harsh 7-year prison sentence for journalist Dong Yuyu on spy charges