Given a seven-year sentence in April for “illegally leaking state secrets,” she went before the Beijing Supreme People’s Court to present her appeal, which lasted an hour. A well-known dissident, she has a long history of health problems.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - The Supreme People's Court of Beijing heard the appeal filed by famous journalist Gao Yu, 71, who was sentenced in April to seven years in jail for allegedly leaking state secrets.

During the one-hour hearing, Gao made a statement in her own defence , this according to her lawyer Shang Baojun.

It is rare for a mainland court to hold an appeal hearing as only written evidence is normally accepted, the more so if the case involves dissidents and human rights activists.

Gao, who has a long history of heart disease, high blood pressure and a chronic skin allergy, also suffers from Ménière’s disease – a disorder of the inner ear that causes dizziness and fluctuating hearing loss.

Famous for her sharp criticism of China’s political system and leaders, she went back to prison for the third time in April 2015.

She had been arrested in April 2014 for allegedly leaking a Communist Party circular to Mingjing News, a US-based Chinese news website.

Forced to "confess" her sins on state television on the eve of the trial, the journalist later revealed that she confessed to protect her child and family, who had received threats.

The charges stem from an electronic version of a photocopied Communist Party paper known as Document Number Nine that Gao allegedly sent to Mingjing News in 2013.

This document calls on party officials to tackle seven subversive influences on society, including “Western constitutional democracy” and “universal values” such as human rights and free speech.

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