Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A recent hospital check showed the health condition of China's jailed veteran journalist Gao Yu has deteriorated yet again, with the normally spirited journalist saying she did not want to die in jail, said her brother on Tuesday.
As a condition for her release, Gao had been asked to confess her supposed guilt on television again but she refused.
Known for her sharp criticism of China’s political system and hard-hitting reports on elite politics, she was jailed for the third time last April.
She had been arrested in April 2014 for allegedly leaking state secrets to the US-based Chinese-language magazine Mingjing Monthly.
Forced to make a confession on state television in May last year just before her trial, she later told prosecutors it was extracted under coercion when threats were made against her son and family.
The case against her is centred on Document No 9, an internal party memo that orders party officials to tackle seven subversive influences on society, including "Western constitutional democracy" and "universal values" such as human rights and free speech. However, both Gao and Mingjing Monthly denied the charge.
Gao, 71, has a long history of heart disease and high blood pressure. Earlier this month, her brother, Gao Wei, said she was suffering frequently from heart pain and urged the authorities to allow her to have a thorough health check.
A hospital check in recent weeks found there were signs of blockages in Gao Yu’s heart arteries and there were also signs that she had suffered a heart attack some time ago.
The medical check also found abnormal nymph node growth in her neck, although it was yet unclear whether the hard lumps on both sides of her neck were benign or malign. Shang said Gao was “very worried” over her deteriorating health conditions.