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1h ago

China Sentences Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan to Four More Years

UN rights officials plus press‑freedom groups condemned the opaque case, calling for her immediate release.

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Workers in protective suits are seen at the Leishenshan Hospital, a makeshift hospital for treating patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Wuhan, Hubei province, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
Medical workers in protective suits attend to COVID-19 patients at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a designated hospital during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, February 6, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT/File Photo
People wearing protective suits are seen in Biandanshan cemetery in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of China's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, April 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

Overview

  • Rights groups report a Shanghai court imposed a new four‑year term after a Sept. 19 hearing where foreign diplomats were turned away.
  • Zhang was convicted again of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a widely criticized charge, with no specific alleged acts publicly detailed.
  • RSF and the Committee to Protect Journalists denounced the ruling, while the UN Human Rights Office called it deeply disturbing and urged unconditional release.
  • The European Union deplored the verdict and pressed China to uphold due process and disclose reliable information about Zhang’s health.
  • Zhang was released in May 2024, re‑detained in August, and previously endured hunger strikes and reported force‑feeding, as China remains near the bottom of press‑freedom rankings with over 120 media workers jailed.