Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan, who was previously jailed for documenting the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, has been sentenced to an additional four years in prison, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Zhang, 42, was convicted on Friday, September 19, under the
charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” the same accusation that
led to her December 2020 imprisonment after she published first-hand accounts
of the coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan. RSF confirmed the sentencing.
China’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on the case,
and Reuters reported it was unclear whether Zhang currently has legal
representation.
RSF condemned the ruling, calling Zhang a symbol of press
freedom. “She should be celebrated globally as an 'information hero', not
trapped in brutal prison conditions,” said RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager
Aleksandra Bielakowska. “Her ordeal and persecution must end. It is more urgent
than ever for the international diplomatic community to pressure Beijing for
her immediate release.”
Zhang’s initial reports included videos from overwhelmed
hospitals and empty streets in Wuhan that contradicted the official narrative
about the scale of the outbreak. She was arrested after months of posting
online, and her then-lawyer, Ren Quanniu, said she believed she was “being
persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech.”
Following her arrest, Zhang launched a hunger strike,
leading police to restrain her hands and force-feed her through a tube, her
lawyers said at the time. She was sentenced to four years in prison in 2020 but
released in May 2024, only to be detained again three months later. She was
eventually held at Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Centre before Friday’s new
sentencing, RSF said.
Ren wrote on X that the new charges were linked to comments
Zhang posted on overseas websites. “She should not be deemed guilty,” he added.
International press freedom groups have condemned China’s
actions. “This is the second time Zhang Zhan has faced trial on baseless
charges that amount to nothing more than a blatant act of persecution for her
journalism work,” said Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to
Protect Journalists. “Chinese authorities must put an end to the arbitrary
detention of Zhang, drop all charges and free her immediately.”
China has been widely criticised for its treatment of
journalists. RSF said the country currently holds at least 124 media workers in
detention, making it the world’s largest jailer of journalists. It ranks 178th
out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
The ruling also comes a week after China’s top legislators
passed a new bill to accelerate public health emergency responses, allowing
citizens to directly report emergencies and bypass traditional government
channels.
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