National Press Club Statement On Verdict In Case of Journalist Dong Yuyu

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Nov 29, 2024, 11:52 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Emily Wilkins 117^th President of the National Press Club on news of the verdict in the national security trial of journalist and Nieman fellow Dong Yuyu.

"Our hearts go out to the family of Dong Yuyu, a journalist who received an outrageous verdict in his national security case from Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate People's Court. According to court he was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in prison. With time served this means he will spend 4.5 more years in prison. The threshold for evidence under Chinese law is quite high and simply could not have been met in this case despite the verdict.

Dong Yuyu is a journalist. And journalism is not a crime. He rose to the rank of managing editor at Guangming Daily, one of China's major daily newspapers. This is a position of great responsibility and he was well vetted before being promoted to such a position. He worked at the paper for more than 30 years.

The kinds of activities Dong Yuyu is accused of include talking to diplomats from the Japanese Embassy in Beijing and having lunch with them in public places. These are normal activities of journalists and Dong has engaged with Western diplomats for many years without complaint.

We call on the Government of Japan to immediately rebut these unsubstantiated accusations against their professional diplomats and the Embassy where they work. We understand individual diplomats may be named in the court documents. We also call on Japan to clarify in a public and transparent way, their years long relationship with Dong, a working journalist.

This case appears to have all the characteristics of an arbitrary detention. We are exploring the possibility of filing a case with the United Nations Working Group for Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Dong Yuyu. This work would be done through our newly launched Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the World's leading professional organization for journalists. With 2,500 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Club, through its Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club, is a leading voice for journalists at risk in the U.S. and worldwide.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club