Zhang Zhan sentenced to four more years in jail, group says
Rights group RSF condemns the ruling and calls for her immediate release as Beijing tightens control over independent reporting
A Chinese court on Friday sentenced Zhang Zhan, a 42-year-old journalist who documented the early COVID-19 outbreak from Wuhan, to four more years in prison on a charge of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Zhang was first jailed in December 2020 after posting first-hand accounts from Wuhan, including videos from crowded hospitals and empty streets that painted a harsher early picture than the official narrative. She was released in May 2024 and detained again three months later, ultimately being formally arrested and placed in Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Center, RSF said.
RSF described the ruling as part of a pattern of jailing journalists and called for her immediate release. In a statement, RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager Aleksandra Bielakowska urged the international community to push Beijing to drop charges and free Zhang promptly. Her former lawyer, Ren Quanniu, said Zhang believed she was being punished for exercising freedom of speech, and Reuters noted it could not determine whether she had legal representation at the time of the new trial.
The charges have never been publicly specified by Chinese authorities, and Zhang’s reporting on human rights issues in China has been cited by observers as a central element of the case against her. The hearing drew renewed attention to Beijing's approach to journalism and dissent, and to the risks faced by citizen reporters who document sensitive topics.
Behavioral and legal advocacy groups weighed in, with the Committee to Protect Journalists' Asia-Pacific director Beh Lih Yi describing the charges as baseless and urging authorities to end Zhang’s detention and drop all charges tied to her reporting.
China has the world’s largest prison for journalists, with at least 124 media workers behind bars, RSF said. The country ranked 178th out of 180 on RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index, underscoring what many observers view as a broader crackdown on independent reporting.
Separately, a week before Zhang’s sentencing, China’s top lawmakers passed a bill to accelerate public health emergency responses by allowing people to report emergencies outside the government’s usual hierarchical structure, a move seen as part of ongoing shifts in how Beijing handles information during crises.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment, and Reuters could not determine whether Zhang had legal representation at the time of the latest trial. The case remains a focal point for debates over press freedom and the treatment of journalists who contest official narratives.
