Dong Yifu, the son of Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu, has called for his father’s release after the journalist was sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage charges. Speaking at a National Press Club event, Dong Yifu denounced the conviction, which he views as part of China’s broader crackdown on press freedom. He emphasized that his father’s meetings with diplomats did not involve espionage and urged Japanese authorities in Washington to assist.
Dong Yuyu, a former journalist and editor at the state-run Guangming Daily, was arrested in February 2022 during a lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. He was transferred to an undisclosed detention center, where he has had no contact with his wife. In November 2024, a Beijing court sentenced him to seven years in prison, but it did so without reviewing evidence and refused to provide the verdict to his lawyer or family. The court also did not publish the verdict online.
The case has drawn international support, with organizations like PEN International, Reporters Without Borders, and the U.S. State Department calling for Dong Yuyu’s immediate release. Reporters Without Borders has described China as the “world’s largest prison for journalists.”
At the press event, National Press Club President Mike Balsamo also called on Chinese authorities to free Dong Yuyu, underscoring concerns over China’s suppression of independent journalism.
Source: National Press Club, PEN International, Reporters Without Borders
