Chinese journo who reported Wuhan Covid outbreak gets 4 more years

Zhang (Agenzia Nova)

By Agenzia Nova, Philippine News Agency

BEIJING – Zhang, a Chinese journalist who reported on the early spread of Covid-19 in Wuhan, has been sentenced to an additional four years in prison, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The 42-year-old was handed the new sentence on Sept. 19, just over a year after her release from an earlier four-year term imposed in 2020 on charges of “picking quarrels and causing trouble.”

The same charge was used against her again, RSF said.

Zhang was first arrested in December 2020 after she published videos, posts, and firsthand accounts from Wuhan that contradicted the Chinese government’s official narrative of the outbreak. Her reports showed a far grimmer picture of the situation on the ground.

During her initial detention, Zhang staged a hunger strike in protest, prompting authorities to force-feed her, according to her legal team.
Her lawyer at the time, Ren Quanniu, said she believed she was being persecuted for exercising her right to free speech.

She was released in May 2024 but rearrested just three months later in Shanghai, eventually leading to her latest trial and sentencing. RSF said last week’s conviction came after Zhang also reported on human rights violations in China.

Human rights groups, including RSF, strongly condemned the ruling and renewed calls for her immediate release.

“Zhang should be celebrated globally as a heroine of information, not trapped in brutal prison conditions. Her ordeal and persecution must end,” Aleksandra Bielakowska, Asia-Pacific director for RSF, said. “It is more urgent than ever for the international diplomatic community to pressure Beijing to release her immediately.”