The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Chinese authorities to immediately release veteran journalist Dong Yuyu on humanitarian grounds, citing concerns over his deteriorating health due to forced prison labour. Dong, 64, is serving a seven-year prison sentence on espionage charges and was recently ordered to resume compulsory labour just weeks after undergoing major surgery to remove a cancerous tumour. According to his family, Dong has been assigned approximately 40 hours of work every week at a prison facility, where he is required to manufacture clothes. The order came shortly after he underwent surgery in August at a prison hospital in Beijing. CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi condemned the decision, describing it as an inhumane act that reflects the Chinese authorities’ disregard for the journalist’s health and life. Dong’s family has expressed concern over his deteriorating health since the procedure, which was performed after a cancerous tumour was discovered in May. The tumour was found after Dong was hospitalised following complaints of heart palpitations and unexplained weight loss. His family has also raised concerns over his transfer in March from Beijing No. 2 Prison to Chaobai Prison in Tianjin, approximately 168 kilometres from their residence. The relocation has significantly complicated family visits, extending what was previously a 40-minute journey to more than two hours. ## Background and Arrest Dong previously worked as an editor and columnist for the state-owned Guangming Daily. He was arrested in 2022 while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. In November 2024, he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to seven years in prison. The Committee to Protect Journalists has consistently campaigned for his release and recognised him with its 2025 International Press Freedom Award. The CPJ has maintained that Dong should never have been imprisoned on what it described as fabricated espionage allegations and called for an immediate halt to all labour requirements imposed on him. China’s Foreign Ministry has not responded to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.
