New York: A leading international press freedom watchdog has strongly criticised Chinese authorities for ordering veteran journalist Dong Yuyu to undertake prison labour despite his recent cancer surgery, calling for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
Expressing grave concern over his treatment, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that instructing the 64-year-old to resume prison work just weeks after undergoing a major operation to remove a cancerous tumour was “inhumane” and reflected a blatant disregard for his health and well-being
“It is inhumane of Chinese authorities to expect 64-year-old Dong Yuyu to resume prison labor weeks after major surgery and demonstrates a blatant disregard for his life. Dong Yuyu should not even be in prison on a bogus espionage charge. Chinese authorities must halt all prison labor demands and release him on humanitarian grounds,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi.
According to CPJ, Dong, who was an editor and columnist at the state-owned Guangming Daily, was arrested in 2022 while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. He was convicted of espionage in November 2024 and sentenced to seven years in jail.
Citing his family, the organisation said that Dong was ordered to resume prison labour on October 12, just weeks after he underwent surgery in August at a prison hospital in Beijing. His health had since declined, they said.
The CPJ said that the tumor was detected in May this year, after Dong was admitted to hospital with heart palpitations and weight loss.
He was transferred from Beijing Prison in March to Chaobai Prison in the southeastern city of Tianjin, about 168 kilometres away from the family’s Beijing home, his family told CPJ.
Earlier this year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the international community to increase pressure on Beijing to secure Dong’s release on medical parole and allow him to travel abroad for treatment and reunite with his family.
Highlighting the deteriorating conditions of prisons in China, Aleksandra Bielakowska, Advocacy Manager of RSF Asia Pacific, said, “We are deeply concerned for Dong Yuyu’s health. Chinese prisons are notorious for their appalling conditions, lack of independent and high-quality medical support, and disregard for the well-being of prisoners.”
–IANS–
