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Zhang Zhan, a 37-year-old former lawyer and citizen journalist arrested in May for reporting on the coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan has been sentenced to 4 years in jail on charges of spreading false information.
Her live reports and essays went viral on social media platforms in February, grabbing the attention of the Chinese authorities.
She was accused of 'picking quarrels and stirring up trouble', an accusation frequently used against critics and activists inside China, after reporting on social media and streaming accounts.
The prosecution document said that she had sent 'false information through text, video and other media through the Internet media such as WeChat, Twitter and YouTube. She also accepted interviews from overseas media (Free Radio Asia and Epoch Times) and maliciously speculated on Wuhan’s Covid-19 epidemic'.
Zhang had denied the charges and said all her reports about the outbreak response were based on accounts from locals. Her video reports were often critical of the secrecy and censorship. She accused authorities of violating basic human rights, and called for the release of other citizen journalists who had been arrested for reporting from Wuhan.
Her trial wasn't broadcasted, and media wasn't allowed to get inside the courtroom, turning it into a secret trial.
Zhang's lawyer said that she went on hunger strike and is being force fed with a tube. After visiting her on Christmas, he said in a blog post that his client had lost 15-20kg weight and her hair had been cut short.
Zhang was previously detained on similar accusations in 2018, and again in 2019 for voicing support for Hong Kong activists.
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