A Chinese whistleblower jailed for documenting the early phases of the Covid-19 outbreak from Wuhan was reportedly sentenced to four more years in prison.
Zhang Zhan, 42, was sentenced on Friday on a charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" in China, according to press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The same charge led to her December 2020 imprisonment after she posted first-hand accounts from the central city of Wuhan on the early spread of the coronavirus.
Zhang, a lawyer-turned-citizen journalist, travelled to Wuhan in February 2020 to document the Chinese government’s efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus at the start of what was to become a global pandemic. She posted firsthand accounts on social media from crowded hospitals and empty streets that projected a more serious situation than the government acknowledged.
She also reported how the authorities were trying to censor criticism of its response to the viral outbreak on social media. Her lawyer at the time, Ren Quanniu, said Zhang believed she was "being persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech".
She went on hunger strike the month after that arrest, prompting police to strap her hands and force-feed her with a tube, her lawyers said at the time.
Zhang was released in May 2024 and detained again three months later, eventually being formally arrested and placed in Shanghai's Pudong Detention Center, RSF said.
Aleksandra Bielakowska, the RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager, said: "She should be celebrated globally as an 'information hero', not trapped in brutal prison conditions.
"Her ordeal and persecution must end. It is more urgent than ever for the international diplomatic community to pressure Beijing for her immediate release."
Friday's sentencing followed Zhang's reporting on China's human rights abuses, RSF said. Her former lawyer posted on X that the new charges were based on Zhang's comment on overseas websites and she should not be deemed guilty.
Her supporters were reportedly turned away at her trial on Friday. Peng Yonghe, the lawyer who volunteered to testify in her defence and called her a “true patriot”, was placed under police control. "Diplomats were barred from her trial, with all details concealed. Her persecution must end," added Ms Bielakowska.
"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 for the New York-based 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 the world's largest prison for journalists, with at least 124 media workers behind bars, RSF said. The nation ranked 178th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
The EU deplored Friday's verdict against Zhan and called for her "immediate and unconditional release", spokesperson Anitta Hipper said. The bloc urged "China to uphold freedom of expression and guarantee due process. We also call on China to provide reliable information about her health condition".
A week before Zhang's latest sentencing, China's top lawmakers passed a bill to accelerate public health emergency responses by allowing people to report emergencies, bypassing the government's usual hierarchical structure.
Another citizen journalist, Chen Qiushi, disappeared while filming in Wuhan in February 2020. He resurfaced on a friend’s YouTube live in September 2021 and said he had suffered from depression but didn’t provide any details about his disappearance.
The Independent has reached out to China’s Justice Ministry for comment.
