China upholds harsh 7-year prison sentence for journalist Dong Yuyu on spy charges

New York, November 13, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday urged Chinese authorities to immediately release journalist Dong Yuyu and allow him to reunite with his family, after a Beijing court upheld his seven-year sentence on espionage charges.

The Beijing High Court issued a ruling saying it affirmed the conviction of the 63-year-old, his family told CPJ. The court did not provide reasons in rejecting Dong’s appeal, which is final under the Chinese justice system.

“This is an unconscionable decision. Today’s ruling shows China is determined to deny Dong Yuyu the justice he deserves,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “Speaking with diplomats is routine work for journalists — not espionage. China must release Dong immediately, or it is sending a message to the world that its stated goal of open engagement is empty talk.”

In a statement, Dong’s family said the decision was a “shameless act of persecution” and would “go down in history as one of the most egregious offenses against journalists and intellectuals by the Chinese authorities.”

Dong, a veteran editor and columnist at the state-owned Guangming Daily, was arrested in February 2022 while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. He was convicted of espionage in November 2024 and his appeal, submitted the following month, was postponed three times before Thursday’s hearing. His family have been unable to visit him since he was detained.

Dong’s son, Yifu, has described the charges against him as “purely political” and the case has become emblematic of the increasingly restrictive media environment in the country. China is the world’s leading jailer of journalists, with at least 49 in prison, according to CPJ’s research.

A journalist for more than 30 years, Dong has earned respect both domestically and internationally for writing that is recognized as advocating for reform in China, including support for the rule of law and constitutional democracy. Dong’s work has been published in The New York Times’ Chinese-language website and he won a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 2006-2007.

CPJ will honor him with a 2025 International Press Freedom Award later this month.

CPJ wrote to China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday urging him to consider steps that would allow Dong to be reunited with his family. The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a CPJ’s emailed request for comment after the appeal ruling.