TAIPEI, Aug. 28, 2024 — Beijing authorities cut off independent journalist Gao Yu’s internet, landline and mobile phone connections on Monday, Aug. 26, after publishing an article on Sunday analyzing an Al Jazeera interview with Victor Gao, deputy director of the Chinese think tank Center on China and Globalization.
“Chinese authorities must restore journalist Gao Yu’s internet connection and phone service and stop harassing her through physical and digital surveillance,” said Iris Xu, a member of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee. “Beijing’s excessive attempts to control dissent demonstrate its cowardice and fear of critical reporting.”
Authorities have been asking Gao to close his accounts on social platform X for years, he told CPJ, adding that he believes his posts, including those sharing his articles, are the reason for cutting off his internet and phone access. Gao told CPJ that he has to go to a friend’s house or a restaurant to access the internet.
Beijing police also asked Gao to leave the capital from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9, when the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, a national-level economic meeting between African countries and China, will be held. After she refused, Gao said police told her they would take turns guarding her house to make sure she didn’t leave, a common practice in China against dissidents.
CPJ’s email seeking comment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a message sent via its webpage after hours to the Beijing municipal government were not immediately responded to.
Authorities sentenced Go to six years in prison in 1994 for “leaking state secrets.” He was released on medical parole in 1999 after serving part of his sentence. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for the same crime in 2015. His sentence was later reduced to five years and he served it outside prison due to his deteriorating health.
