Chinese court rejects appeal by journalist jailed on spy charges

Beijing's High Court rejected on Thursday an appeal by veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu to overturn a seven-year jail term for espionage, his family told Reuters, calling the decision an "act of persecution".



Arrested in Beijing in February 2022 while lunching with a Japanese diplomat, the respected 62-year-old former Guangming Daily editor and journalist was jailed last November for seven years on espionage charges.



His son, Dong Yifu, confirmed to Reuters that the court had upheld the original sentence, and had given no reason for its rejection.



The judgment was "illogical and there's no evidence to satisfy the charges of espionage," Dong's lawyer, Mo Shaoping, told Reuters.



Dong's wife and a relative attended the hearing. 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.