China Cuts Off Journalist Gao Yu’s Internet and Phone in Escalating Digital Crackdown

August 28, 2024 – China –

Beijing authorities severed all forms of communication for veteran independent journalist Gao Yu, disabling her landline, mobile phone, and internet access. The disruption followed her publication of a critique of an Al Jazeera interview with Victor Gao, provoking what CPJ called a tactic of enforced isolation used to silence dissenting voices.

At 80 years old, Gao found herself unable to contact emergency services, a distressing impact on her well-being. She reported having to rely on mobile data at cafés or at friends’ homes to stay connected. Telecom providers blamed non-payment, but she confirmed her account was in good standing. Beijing police also attempted to use the Forum on China‑Africa Cooperation summit as grounds to impose what amounted to a travel ban and home surveillance.

CPJ and other rights groups condemned the move, with CPJ’s China representative, Iris Hsu, declaring that Beijing’s disconnection of Gao was “a reflection of its cowardice and fear of critical reporting,” and demanding immediate restoration of her communication services . Women in Journalism also highlighted the blatant violation of her access to emergency services.

This incident goes beyond sporadic censorship—it exemplifies a broader method of digital repression embedded in China’s media control architecture. The Chinese government exercises near-total control over Internet Service Providers (ISPs), enabling the state to cut off dissidents arbitrarily. The incident coincides with a wider pattern of online surveillance, account shutdowns, and restrictions on VPN tools, making the country one of the most censorious digital environments globally .

Gao Yu is a high-profile critic of the Chinese Communist Party. Her prior convictions—including jail sentences in the 1990s and 2015 for “leaking state secrets”—underscore that the recent communication blackout is part of a long history of state repression

Reference – 

https://theprint.in/world/chinese-authorities-cut-off-independent-journalists-internet-cell-service-amid-surveillance-harassment/2244205/

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/gao-yu-journalist-internet-blocked-08272024123247.html

China shuts down journalist’s internet, cell service – Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org)