Overview

• Weiquanwang reported that a Shanghai court on September 19 sentenced Zhang Zhan to four years for disturbing public order over alleged misinformation on social media.
• Zhang, a former lawyer who reported from Wuhan during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, previously served four years on the same charge and was released in May 2024.
• She was detained again after traveling to Gansu in August 2024 to support human-rights activists, according to Weiquanwang.
• Diplomats and journalists who went to the court for the ruling were denied entry and several activists were removed, the rights site said.
• International human-rights and press-freedom groups have criticized the verdict and called for her release, while independent confirmation of courtroom details remains limited.