The lawyer for jailed Chinese journalist Gao Yu says the freelance reporter's health has declined since she was sentenced in April 2015 to seven years in prison for leaking state secrets.
Excerpt of a 29 July 2015 CPJ Blog post by Yaqiu Wang, CPJ Northeast Asia Correspondent.
The lawyer for jailed Chinese journalist Gao Yu says the freelance reporter’s health has declined since she was sentenced in April to seven years in prison for leaking state secrets. Shang Baojun, who visited Gao in Beijing No.1 Detention Center on July 28, told CPJ that Gao says she is scared she will die in prison after hearing the results of a health check.
Shang told CPJ that doctors found abnormal lymph nodes in Gao’s neck earlier this month, but they do not yet know if the abnormality is malignant. Gao, who is 71, already suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure, and Meniere’s disease, which can cause severe dizziness. Shang and Mo Shaoping, who is also representing Gao, said they plan to apply for bail based on the results of the health check. Previous requests for bail have been denied, Shang said.