Punishing Dong for exercising his freedom of speech and the press, guaranteed by the PRC’s constitution for all its citizens, is unjust,” said U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.

The sentencing of Dong Yuyu, a former Harvard Nieman fellow, signals that officials consider some exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreigners to be espionage.

A Beijing court sentenced veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu on Friday to seven years in prison for espionage, a family member told Reuters.

Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu was sentenced in a Beijing court to seven years in prison for espionage after meeting with a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant.

A court in Beijing recently handed down a harsh sentence to veteran journalist Dong Yuyu, sentencing him to seven years in prison on espionage charges. The 62-year-old former editor, who had been detained in February 2022,

BANGKOK — A court in Beijing on Friday sentenced a prominent Chinese journalist to seven in years in prison for espionage, his family said. Dong Yuyu, a commentator and editor, was taken away by police while meeting a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant in February 2022. He has been in police custody since then.

Longtime state media journalist Dong Yuyu met often with journalists and diplomats. His family believes he is now being persecuted for those exchanges.

A Beijing court sentenced Dong Yuyu, a respected Chinese journalist, to seven years in prison for espionage. His family and advocates decry the charges as unjust, emphasizing the chilling impact on journalistic freedom in China.

Dong Yuyu’s conviction on espionage charges shows how the space for independent thought and open discussion in China has narrowed since Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

A Beijing court sentenced veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu on Friday to seven years in prison for espionage, his family said in a statement, calling the verdict a grave injustice.