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September 21, 2025September 21, 2025 – China –
Chinese citizen-journalist Zhang Zhan, known for her reporting from Wuhan at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, has been handed a new four-year prison sentence after being convicted on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”
Zhang’s previous four-year term, imposed in late 2020 for similar charges, concluded in May 2024. Shortly after her release, she was detained again in August 2024 and later tried in Shanghai, where Western diplomats were reportedly denied access to observe the proceedings.
The renewed conviction stems from posts on social media that Chinese authorities say damaged the country’s image, though the specific content of those posts has not been publicly disclosed.
Human rights and media watchdogs have condemned the decision. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described Zhang as an “information hero,” urging her unconditional release; the Committee to Protect Journalists called the charges baseless. The United Nations and Human Rights Watch similarly described the sentencing as politically motivated and a violation of press freedom. Amnesty International called the conviction a betrayal of China’s claimed commitment to the rule of law.
Zhang Zhan, formerly a lawyer, gained international attention for traveling to Wuhan in early 2020 to document hospital overcrowding, lockdown conditions, and the plight of ordinary citizens during the outbreak. Her initial arrest took place in May 2020, and during her first imprisonment, she staged a hunger strike, suffering a serious health decline and reportedly being force-fed.
China currently detains many media workers, with at least 124 currently imprisoned, and ranks 178th out of 180 territories in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. Observers argue Zhang’s case is emblematic of broader efforts to suppress independent reporting and dissent.
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