Dharamshala, 8th November: A citizen journalist imprisoned in Wuhan for covering China’s early response to Covid has gone on hunger strike, according to her family, triggering increased calls from rights groups for her quick release. In February 2020, Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, traveled to Wuhan to report on the pandemonium in the epicenter of the pandemic, questioning authorities’ handling of the outbreak in her smartphone films.
She was arrested in May 2020 and sentenced to four years in prison in December for “picking quarrels and causing a commotion,” a charge that is frequently used to stifle dissent. Her brother Zhang Ju said last week on a Twitter account verified by persons close to the situation that she is now severely underweight and “may not live for much longer.”
Zhang has been on a hunger strike and has been forced-fed using nasal tubes, according to her legal team, which does not have any information on her present status. Amnesty International urged the Chinese government on Thursday to “free her immediately so that she can cease her hunger strike and receive the essential medical treatment she so needs,” in response to Zhang Ju’s remarks. Zhang’s detention, according to amnesty campaigner Gwen Lee, is a “shameful attack on human rights.”
On Friday, China’s foreign ministry declined to comment on Zhang’s condition, dismissing calls for her release from rights groups as “anti-China political manipulation.” At a normal press conference, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin remarked, “China is a country with a rule of law.” “Anyone who breaks the law must face the consequences of their actions.” According to Reporters Without Borders, Zhang is now unable to move or even elevate her head without assistance.
Leave a Reply