Gao Yu

Gao Yu (; born 23 February 1944) is a Chinese journalist and dissident who has been repeatedly imprisoned.

Career Gao began her journalism career in 1979 as a reporter for the China News Service. In 1988, she became deputy chief editor of Economics Weekly, edited by dissident intellectuals. and released 15 months later because of health problems.

Gao was arrested again in October 1993, and in November 1994 was sentenced to six years, accused of having "published state secrets". In February 1999, she was given parole in poor health.

In 2014, Gao was arrested again a few weeks ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The detention of the outspoken 70-year-old journalist was just one of several detentions of government critics over the previous days ahead of the politically sensitive 4 June anniversary.

In April 2015, Beijing's high court convicted Gao of leaking state secrets and sentenced her to seven years in prison. According to Reporters Without Borders, the authorities accused Gao of sending "Document Number Nine" to a foreign news organization, although the document had already been posted online. Following an appeal, her sentence was reduced to five years on 26 November 2015. Hours later, Chinese state media announced she has been released on medical parole, however the conviction for leaking state secrets was not overturned. As of 2016, she is serving a five-year sentence under house arrest.

German president Joachim Gauck, on his first state visit to China in March 2016, raised the plight of Gao with the Chinese government. Gao once wrote for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. In March 1997, she became the first journalist to receive the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. In 2000 she was named one of International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the 20th century.