Family claims ‘persecution’ after court denies jailed Chinese journalist’s appeal

Published: 13 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

A Chinese high court has dismissed the appeal of Dong Yuyu, a veteran state media journalist jailed on espionage charges, a ruling his family described as “an act of persecution.”

The Beijing court upheld Dong’s original seven-year sentence on Thursday, providing no explanation for the decision, according to his son, Dong Yifu. The 62-year-old former editor of Guangming Daily was arrested in February 2022 while meeting a Japanese diplomat for lunch in Beijing.

Dong, known for writing opinion pieces on legal reform and social issues and co-editing a book promoting the rule of law in China, has consistently denied the charges. His lawyer, Mo Shaoping, called the ruling “illogical,” noting there was no credible evidence of espionage.

The trial, held behind closed doors in July 2023, barred journalists and foreign diplomats from attending. Chinese officials maintain that the case was handled “strictly in line with the law.”

Dong’s family warned that the conviction sets a chilling precedent, allowing ordinary Chinese citizens to face espionage accusations simply for maintaining international contacts. “The sentence threatens all foreigners who interact with Chinese citizens, silences freethinking Chinese citizens open to engaging with the world, and intentionally chills people-to-people exchange,” they said.

During his career, Dong engaged regularly with diplomats and journalists and held visiting scholar positions at Japan’s Keio and Hokkaido universities, as well as a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard in 2007. Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, emphasised that “speaking with diplomats is routine work for journalists, not espionage.”

The family said they will continue to seek justice and challenge the evidence presented in court, maintaining that Dong is innocent. They also highlighted that some Japanese diplomats he met were never spies, nor were they expelled from China, as the prosecution claimed.