Paris, May 5 (IANS) A leading international press freedom organisation expressed grave concerns over the deteriorating health condition of Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu, citing his family, who said that he was recently hospitalised and diagnosed with an unidentified tumour.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the international community to increase pressure on Beijing to secure his release on medical parole and allow him to travel abroad for treatment and reunite with his family.
The organisation cited the journalist’s family, stating that Dong Yuyu was hospitalised on April 28 at a prison-affiliated hospital in China’s Tianjin city, where a computed tomography scan reportedly revealed “a sizeable tumour in the lower lobe of his left lung, which requires further contrast-enhanced imaging to determine its nature”.
The RSF mentioned that the medical examinations also revealed arrhythmia, including premature atrial contractions and premature ventricular contractions. He has been placed on a 24-hour Holter monitor for further evaluation, but the results have not yet been communicated to his family.
“The harsh conditions in wrongful detention over the past four years have taken a grave toll on Yuyu’s health. We are hoping for an immediate release on medical grounds so Yuyu can get the life-saving treatment he needs,” RSF quoted his family as saying.
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.”
According to the RSF, in November 2024, Dong Yuyu was sentenced to seven years in prison after spending two years in pre-trial detention.
Describing him as a rare independent voice in China’s state media, the organisation said that he spent 35 years working for the tightly controlled state-run newspaper Guangming Daily, where he consistently reported on human rights issues and abuses of power.
The RSF stated that China’s prisons are notoriously “unsanitary and lack transparency”, allowing various forms of abuse to occur, with detained journalists often subjected to torture, mistreatment, and denial of medical care.
‘Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan was shackled and force-fed in prison; journalist who sparked ‘Me Too’ in China Sophia Huang Xueqin was subjected to the “tiger chair”, while political commentator Yang Hengjun was subjected to abuse and torture in detention,’ the group mentioned.
“Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel Peace Laureate, and Yang Tongyan, a blogger, both died from cancers left untreated while they were in prison, while Kunchok Jinpa, a source on Tibet for foreign media, passed away as a consequence of ill-treatment suffered whilst in detention,” it added.
The RSF noted that “China, the world’s biggest prison for journalists and press freedom defenders” with “at least 120 media workers currently behind bars”, is ranked 178th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
–IANS
scor/sd/
