A Chinese journalist, Dong Yuyu, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for espionage by a court in Beijing. Dong, a commentator and editor, was detained by police in February 2022 while meeting with a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant and has been in custody since then.
The Beijing Number 2 Intermediate People's Court delivered the verdict without sharing a copy with Dong's lawyers or family. The court did not make any official announcement on its website or social media accounts.
The verdict accused the Japanese ambassador at the time, Hideo Tarumi, and a Shanghai-based chief diplomat, Masaru Okada, of being part of an espionage organization. Dong, who previously worked at Guangming Daily, a state-owned newspaper known for its relatively liberal stance, had also contributed to the Chinese edition of the New York Times.
In his writings, Dong expressed support for constitutional democracy and political reform, views that were deemed contrary to the Communist Party's position. Despite having contacts with foreign diplomats, scholars, and journalists throughout his career, Dong's family stated that he was always aware of being monitored by state security.
The family criticized the court's decision, stating that it sets a dangerous precedent for Chinese citizens interacting with foreign embassies and diplomats. The U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, condemned Dong's conviction, calling it a violation of freedom of speech and press guaranteed by the Chinese constitution.
