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epa08907258 A pro-democracy activist stands near the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region department as he holds up a signs in support of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who has been sentence to four years in prison and the 12 arrested people in China in Hong Kong, China, 28 December 2020. The 12 people have been detained for over 130 days after they were intercepted at the sea in August as they allegedly tried to flee from Hong Kong to Taiwan by speedboat. EPA-EFE/MIGUEL CANDELA
September 17, 2025 – China –
China is set to try journalist Zhang Zhan this week in Shanghai on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. The trial is scheduled for 19 September at the Pudong New Area People’s Court at 9 a.m. local time.
Zhang, once a lawyer and citizen reporter, first rose to prominence covering the early COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, posting over 100 videos documenting what some say were abuses and mismanagement of the crisis. She was arrested on 14 May 2020, sentenced to four years in prison, and released in 2022. Her initial detention and conviction drew international scrutiny.
In August 2024, she was re-arrested for a “new bogus offence” and has since been held in Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Centre. For about a year, her whereabouts and the conditions of her detention have been largely shrouded in secrecy.
The charge she now faces is “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a broad and vaguely defined offence frequently used by the Chinese government against critics, dissidents, and journalists. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of four to five years.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on the international diplomatic community to demand her immediate release and to pressure Beijing over what it describes as persecution disguised as a legal process. RSF argues that Zhang is not being prosecuted for wrongdoing, but for speaking truthfully under extremely difficult circumstances.
The case of Zhang Zhan underscores broader concerns about press freedom in China. The country currently holds at least 123 media workers behind bars and ranks 178th out of 180 in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
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