A Beijing Court sentenced veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu on Friday to seven years in prison for espionage, according to Dong’s family in a statement provided to Reuters.

Dong’s family called the verdict a “grave injustice” to Dong, his family, and “to every freethinking Chinese journalist and every ordinary Chinese committed to friendly engagement with the world.” The family said the court classified Japanese diplomats with whom Dong met “as agents of an ‘espionage organization.” The court thus allowed the Chinese government to consider foreign embassies within China as “espionage organization[s].”

The Chinese government arrested Dong in February 2022 while he was dining with a Japanese diplomat at a Beijing restaurant. Since his arrest, the authorities have detained Dong and prohibited any visits or communications with his family.

US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns condemned the sentencing on Friday. He stated: “Punishing Dong for exercising his freedom of speech and the press, guaranteed by the PRC’s constitution for all citizens, is unjust.” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller also denounced the ruling, calling for Dong’s “immediate and unconditional release.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also called for Dong’s release, stating that the only evidence presented against him was his contact with foreign diplomats and scholarships he received from international universities. RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau Director Cédric Alviani said: “Maintaining relationships with foreign diplomats and academics is a normal part of a journalist’s work, and labelling these connections as espionage is just absurd.”

In response to the international attention, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China follows the rule of law and handles cases according to legal procedures. She added that individuals who violate the law will be held accountable.

After graduating from the Peking University Law School in 1987, Dong became an editor and journalist of Guangming Daily, a news agency run by the Chinese Communist Party. In his articles, Dong often expressed support for the rule of law and constitutional democracy. He once criticized the Chinese Communist Party’s selective interpretation of Chinese history, which he said downplays the party’s role during dark periods such as the Cultural Revolution.

Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the Sydney University of Science and Technology Feng Chongyi stated that Dong’s articles, not his interactions with foreigners, were the primary reason the authorities have scrutinized him. Feng added that having relationships with foreign media or diplomats used to serve as a form of umbrella insurance in the 2000s since the Chinese government was concerned with the international repercussions that could arise from such connections. However, under President Xi Jinping, such relationships have led to accusations of being a foreign spy, worsening the situation for individuals like Dong Yuyu.

RSF also criticized the Chinese government under Xi Jinping, claiming that the free spread of information has been criminalized under his leadership. The organization ranked China 172 out of 180 countries and territories in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index and stated that the country “is the world’s largest prison for journalists.”