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Dong Yuyu

Dong Yuyu
Born (1962-04-21) April 21, 1962 (age 62)
OccupationJournalist
Years active1987–present
Childrenson: Dong Yifu

Dong Yuyu (Chinese: 董郁玉; pinyin: Dǒng Yùyù) is a former Chinese journalist and editor for the Guangming Daily. He was detained by the Chinese authorities in 2022 and indicted on charges of espionage the next year. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in 2024.

Early life and education

Dong was born in April 1962 in Fushun.[1] He graduated from Peking University Law School with an M.L. degree in 1987.[2][1] Dong has a son, Dong Yifu, who graduated from Yale University with a B.A. degree in history in 2017 and works as a journalist.[3]

Career

In 1987 after graduating from law school, Dong began working for the Guangming Daily, a Chinese Communist Party newspaper[2][1][4] He participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and served a year of hard labor, after which he resumed work at the paper.[4][1]

In 2006 he was awarded a Nieman Fellowship.[2][4] In the period preceding his acceptance of the fellowship, he was aware he was under state surveillance, according to his family.[1] In 2010 he was a visiting fellow at Keio University and in 2014 a visiting professor at Hokkaido University, both in Japan.[2][4] At the time of his arrest he was deputy head of Guangming Daily's editorial department.[1]

Dong has never been a Communist member, and his writing was generally considered to advocate progressive reform in China.[5]

Arrest and imprisonment

In February 2022, Dong was detained by Chinese authorities while lunching with a Japanese diplomat at the Novotel Xin Qiao hotel in downtown Beijing.[2][4][6][7] He was formally arrested six months later and in March 2023 was indicted on charges of espionage.[2] His family did not release news of his detention until April 24, 2023, as they were concerned it might negatively affect his chances of being released uncharged.[4][8] On 29 November 2024, Dong's family said that he had been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for espionage.[9][10]

Dong's arrest and imprisonment were criticized by the United States Department of State, press advocacy groups, academics, and others.[1][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wong, Chun Han (24 April 2023). "China Accuses Newspaper Editor of Espionage After Meeting With Diplomat". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Wang, Vivian (2023-04-24). "China Accuses a Liberal Columnist of Espionage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  3. ^ "董一夫_观点频道_手机财新网". opinion.caixin.com. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Prominent Chinese journalist faces espionage charges". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  5. ^ a b Davidson, Helen (2023-04-25). "Chinese journalist arrested on charges of espionage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  6. ^ "China acusa a columnista liberal de espionaje tras almuerzo con diplomático". Periódico San Juan (in Spanish). 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  7. ^ "Family: Chinese Journalist Faces Espionage Charges". VOA. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  8. ^ "China formally charges journalist with spying, media rights group says". Hong Kong Free Press. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  9. ^ "China sentences journalist to jail on spy charges". BBC. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  10. ^ Feng, Emily (November 29, 2024). "China sentences veteran journalist on espionage charges". NPR. Retrieved November 30, 2024.