Zhang Zhan sentenced to four more years in jail, rights group says
Chinese journalist who documented Wuhan's early COVID-19 outbreak receives another four-year term as international groups renew calls for her freedom
A Chinese journalist known for documenting the early COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan was sentenced Friday to four additional years in prison on a charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Zhang Zhan, 42, posted first-hand accounts and video from crowded hospitals and empty streets that contested the official narrative about the pandemic's early days. She had been arrested in 2020 and released in May 2024, only to be detained again three months later and placed in Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Center, RSF said. China’s authorities have never publicly specified what activities Zhang was charged for.
This is the second time Zhang Zhan has faced trial on charges that rights groups call baseless and aimed at punishing journalism. Aleksandra Bielakowska, RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager, said Zhang should be celebrated as an information hero rather than imprisoned, and urged Beijing to secure her immediate release. "Her ordeal and persecution must end. It is more urgent than ever for the international diplomatic community to pressure Beijing for her immediate release," she said.
The case has drawn international concern about press freedom in China, where authorities have long used charges such as "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" to detain journalists and rights activists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) echoed those concerns, with Asia-Pacific director Beh Lih Yi stating that Zhang has been subjected to a second round of persecution for her reporting and calling for an end to arbitrary detention and the charges being dropped.
China already ranks near the bottom of global press-freedom metrics. RSF said the country has the world’s largest prison for journalists, with at least 124 media workers behind bars, and it placed China 178th out of 180 on its 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
A week before Zhang’s sentencing, China’s top lawmakers passed a bill aimed at accelerating public health emergency responses by allowing people to report emergencies directly, bypassing the usual government chain of command. The move, viewed by observers as part of broader reforms to public health governance, added to concerns about how dissent and critical reporting are handled in China.
Reuters, which has followed Zhang’s case closely, said it could not determine whether she had legal representation at the latest trial. The authorities have not publicly detailed the charges beyond the general description of the case.
As Zhang’s ordeal continues, rights groups urged the international community to press Beijing for her release and to push for greater transparency in how China handles information about health crises. Activists have warned that Zhang’s case is emblematic of broader pressures on journalists who document sensitive topics in China.
