Chinese Journalist Jailed For Covid Reporting In Wuhan Set To Be Freed

Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, jailed for documenting the early days of COVID-19 in Wuhan, is nearing release after a four-year sentence, the Independent reported.

Ms Zhan, a former lawyer turned independent journalist, travelled to Wuhan in February 2020. There, she documented the Chinese government's response to the burgeoning pandemic.

Her reports shared on platforms like YouTube, WeChat, and the now-banned X (formerly Twitter), shed light on government efforts to control information and suppress criticism of their handling of the crisis.

"After 4 years in prison for her independent reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic, journalist Zhang Zhan is due for release on 13 May," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shared on X.

#Chine: Après 4 ans de prison pour un reportage sur la pandémie Covid-19 la journaliste #ZhangZhan doit être libérée le 13/05.RSF appelle la communauté internationale à faire pression sur les autorités🇨🇳 pour assurer sa libération inconditionnelle lundi.https://t.co/2t1cVn3Nuc pic.twitter.com/2Jd3a6iyRi

— RSF (@RSF_inter) May 10, 2024

Concerns have been raised about China's handling of information during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Some believe this may have slowed the international response to the emerging pandemic.

Zhang Zhan was detained in May 2020 and later sentenced to four years in prison on charges of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble.' She has been held at the Shanghai Women's Prison since then.

In a video posted in February 2020, Ms Zhang said Wuhan was "paralysed because everything is undercover".

She continued: "That's what this country is facing now ... They imprison us in the name of pandemic prevention and restrict our freedom. We must not talk to strangers, it's dangerous. So without the truth, everything is meaningless. If we cannot get to the truth, if we cannot break the monopoly of the truth, the world means nothing to us."

Zhang Zhan's online reports included a video capturing a hospital overwhelmed with patients in the early days of the pandemic. This footage, shared when information about the virus's spread was scarce, provided a crucial glimpse into the crisis unfolding in Wuhan.

Zhang Zhan's health deteriorated significantly during her sentence. She undertook a lengthy hunger strike, forcing prison authorities to resort to forced feeding.  Her lawyer reported her condition as frail, with a feeding tube. International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have condemned her imprisonment, arguing it was entirely unjust.