A high court in China dismissed the appeal of a Chinese state media journalist who sought to overturn his jail term on charges of espionage.
Family members of journalist Dong Yuyu said the rejection of the veteran’s appeal is an “act of persecution”.
Beijing’s high court upheld the original sentence on Thursday and has given no reason for its rejection, the journalist’s son Dong Yifu said.
Dong, 62, is the former Guangming Daily editor arrested in Beijing in February 2022 while lunching with a Japanese diplomat.
He wrote opinion articles in Chinese media and liberal academic journals on topics from legal reforms to social issues, and co-edited a book promoting the rule of law in China.
According to court records, the Japanese diplomat Dong was found dining with had been identified as a member of an "espionage organisation”.
He was jailed for seven years on espionage charges last November.
A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said the diplomat had been involved in activities "inconsistent with their capacity" while in the country, the Strait Times reported. The diplomat was subsequently released.
Dong’s family warned that his conviction would set a chilling precedent as Chinese citizens could now be accused of espionage for maintaining international ties.
The trial was held behind closed doors in July 2023 and journalists were barred by police from entering the court on the day of his sentencing. An American diplomat attempting to observe the proceedings was also denied entry.
His lawyer Mo Shaoping called the judgment “illogical” and said there was no evidence to satisfy the charges of espionage.
Chinese officials have previously said they handled the case strictly in line with the law.
"Even though today's judgment is final within China's oppressive legal system, our fight for justice is only beginning," his family said. "We will seek all other avenues for overturning Dong’s wrongful conviction,” they said, maintaining that he is innocent.
The hearing was attended by Dong’s wife and a relative. The family has also challenged some of the evidence presented in the court.
The family, who maintain Dong’s innocence, have challenged some of the evidence presented in court.
A number of Japanese diplomats whom Dong met in China had not been spies as alleged, and had never been expelled from the country, the family said in a statement.
The foreign ministry in Japan did not issue a comment immediately.
The sentence "threatens all foreigners who interact with Chinese citizens, silences all freethinking Chinese citizens open to interacting with the world, and intentionally chills people-to-people exchange," they added.
Dong regularly had in-person exchanges with diplomats from various embassies and journalists. He was a visiting scholar and visiting professor at Japan's Keio and Hokkaido universities, as well as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard university in 2007.
"Speaking with diplomats is routine work for journalists, not espionage," said Beh Lih Yi, an Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
"China must release Dong immediately, or it is sending a message to the world that its stated goal of open engagement is empty talk," she said.
His sentencing has been further criticised by the international community. The US said the court order was “unjust” and called for his unconditional release immediately.
