• Source:JND
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Chinese journalist and COVID-19 whistleblower Zhang Zhan, aged 42, was given an additional four years behind bars, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced. This is a continuation of Zhang's ordeal at law after initial four-year imprisonment back in 2020 for revealing the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan, the pandemic's epicenter city.

Zhang was sentenced on the charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. The same crime for which she was initially imprisoned. RSF noted that her recent sentencing is consistent with Zhang's reporting on human rights abuses in China. It further claimsthat her professional work as a journalist is the root cause of her persecution.

International Condemnation 

China's Foreign Ministry could not be contacted immediately for comment, and nothing is known about whether Zhang has a lawyer now. RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager Aleksandra Bielakowska condemned the verdict, saying, "She should be celebrated around the world as an 'information hero,' rather than being trapped in degrading prison conditions. Her ordeal and harassment must cease. It is more than ever essential that the international diplomatic community must pressure Beijing to release her.".

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Taping The Wuhan Outbreak

Zhang initially became an international news item after posting videos and eyewitness accounts from hospitals and empty streets in Wuhan, offering a far grimmer picture of the outbreak than the officially controlled Chinese account. Her then-attorney, Ren Quanniu, said Zhang believed she was being persecuted for exercising her right to freedom of speech. Court documents accessed by Reuters stated that Zhang initiated a hunger strike one month after her initial arrest, when police allegedly restrained her and force-fed her through a tube.

Re-Arrest And Detention

She was released in May 2024 but was detained again three months later. Following her re-arrest, she was formally held in Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Centre. RSF emphasised that her continued imprisonment follows Zhang’s reporting on sensitive human rights issues, both within China and on overseas platforms. Her former lawyer Ren argued on social media platform X that the charges against Zhang were unjust and that she should not be found guilty.

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Zhang Zhan's case has gained international condemnation, with concerns about press freedom and the treatment of citizen journalists in China. The human rights community continue to call for her release.