A Chinese citizen journalist who vanished three years ago while covering the Wuhan coronavirus lockdown and was eventually identified as being in custody by the government has been freed.&nbsp;Several media reports that were based on people close to his family say that Fang Bin was released from custody on Sunday (April 30).&nbsp;According to the sources who spoke to The Guardian,&nbsp;he visited Beijing, where several members of his family reside, before returning&nbsp;to Wuhan on Monday morning, where he is still being closely watched.

As per&nbsp;a Chinese human rights watchdog, Fang was being shuttled back and forth between Beijing and Wuhan because neither city wanted to take responsibility for him.

<h2>Everything about&nbsp;Fang Bin</h2>

Fang was one of several Chinese citizens to come under the radar of authorities for discussing the events of the first significant COVID-19 breakout and shutdown in public. In February 2020, he and his friend Chen Qiushi, a fellow citizen journalist, vanished from Wuhan.

In a video that was live-streamed on his friend's YouTube page in September 2021, Chen made a comeback and said that he had been depressed. He gave no information on his absence, reported The Guardian.

Confusing and secretive reports about Fang's whereabouts made it unclear whether he was being held in custody, living with his parents under supervision, or being watched at a specific location. In China, this type of covert detention entitles authorities to keep a person for up to six months without bringing charges against them. According to reports,&nbsp;his family was afraid to talk.

In a report published on Sunday, the Associated Press cited a source who said Fang had received a three-year prison term for "picking fights and causing trouble," a general allegation frequently levelled against political dissidents. According to Radio Free Asia, he completed his prison term at a facility in Jiangxia, a district of Wuhan.

For her reporting from Wuhan in December 2020, former attorney turned journalist Zhang Zhan received a four-year prison term on the same accusation. Soon after her detention, Zhang went on a hunger strike, and since then, her supporters have regularly voiced grave worries for her wellbeing.

Zhang's former attorney claimed to The Guardian in 2021 that the Chinese government had issued Zhang's sentence as a "warning" and that she was being punished severely for her activities. 
 
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A Chinese citizen journalist who vanished three years ago while covering the Wuhan coronavirus lockdown and was eventually identified as being in custody by the government has been freed.

A Chinese citizen journalist who vanished three years ago while covering the Wuhan coronavirus lockdown and was eventually identified as being in custody by the government has been freed. Several media reports that were based on people close to his family say that Fang Bin was released from custody on Sunday (April 30). According to the sources who spoke to The Guardian, he visited Beijing, where several members of his family reside, before returning to Wuhan on Monday morning, where he is still being closely watched. As per a Chinese human rights watchdog, Fang was being shuttled back and forth between Beijing and Wuhan because neither city wanted to take responsibility for him. Everything about Fang Bin Fang was one of several Chinese citizens to come under the radar of authorities for discussing the events of the first significant COVID-19 breakout and shutdown in public. In February 2020, he and his friend Chen Qiushi, a fellow citizen journalist, vanished from Wuhan. In a video that was live-streamed on his friend's YouTube page in September 2021, Chen made a comeback and said that he had been depressed. He gave no information on his absence, reported The Guardian. Confusing and secretive reports about Fang's whereabouts made it unclear whether he was being held in custody, living with his parents under supervision, or being watched at a specific location. In China, this type of covert detention entitles authorities to keep a person for up to six months without bringing charges against them. According to reports, his family was afraid to talk. In a report published on Sunday, the Associated Press cited a source who said Fang had received a three-year prison term for "picking fights and causing trouble," a general allegation frequently levelled against political dissidents. According to Radio Free Asia, he completed his prison term at a facility in Jiangxia, a district of Wuhan. For her reporting from Wuhan in December 2020, former attorney turned journalist Zhang Zhan received a four-year prison term on the same accusation. Soon after her detention, Zhang went on a hunger strike, and since then, her supporters have regularly voiced grave worries for her wellbeing. Zhang's former attorney claimed to The Guardian in 2021 that the Chinese government had issued Zhang's sentence as a "warning" and that she was being punished severely for her activities. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Who is Fang Bin? China’s Covid whistleblower reportedly freed from detention after three years

Three years after being detained for publishing the videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese authorities are preparing to release Fang Bin, the citizen journalist who alerted the world about what was to come.

Three years after being detained for publishing the videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese authorities are preparing to release Fang Bin, the citizen journalist who alerted the world about what was to come. Fang began posting videos of himself reporting on the Covid situation in Wuhan in January 2020. The Covid outbreak had devastated the city, home to over 11 million residents. A 76-day hard lockdown was announced by the administration and it was then that the likes of Fang and other citizen journalists started telling their stories and those of others. Although the movement was small in scale, it defied the mandate issued by the Communist Party. As soon as authorities got hold of the videos, he was given warnings but subsequently detained. In the last video, Fang posted a piece of paper reading, “All citizens resist, hand power back to the people.” By February, Fang disappeared from the public eye and alongside him, another citizen journalist named Chen Qiushi. According to media reports, Fang was sentenced to three years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble", which is a vague term, often used to refer to political dissidence. WATCH | China slams WHO for politicising origins of Covid × According to an AP report, Fang was scheduled to be released on Sunday (April 30) but it hadn't been confirmed by the authorities till reports came in last. Efforts to reach the prison authorities did not yield any results either. Another whistleblower Apart from Fang, it was Dr Li Wenliang, a 33-year-old ophthalmologist who made the headlines for being one of the first whistleblowers. He was penalised by Chinese authorities for making "false statements," and ultimately while fighting for patients, succumbed to Covid. What followed was public grief and rage after his passing. ALSO READ | Li Wenliang: People pay tribute to 'hero' doctor as China eases strict Covid restrictions China was the ground zero of the pandemic and one of the last countries to let go of the restrictions. The country under President Xi Jinping employed a zero-Covid tolerance policy which created horrific scenes. It was only in December last year that the communist regime lifted the draconian policy. After a relative period of normalcy, cases started to increase in mainland China earlier this week. On Wednesday, the Chinese authorities urged the citizens to be cautious and also instructed hospitals to be on high alert as the holiday weekend approached. ALSO READ | COVID-19 cases reportedly rising in China. A matter of global concern? (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Fang Bin, Chinese 'citizen journalist' who reported on COVID-19 to be released after 3 years

A citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, jailed for her coverage of China's initial response to COVID-19 in Wuhan is close to death after going on hunger strike. The right groups have renewed calls for her immediate release.

China: Zhang Zhan, jailed for COVID-19 reporting in Wuhan is on brink of death

Zhang Zhan, journalist who showed the reality of the coronavirus outbreak in China's Wuhan, is severely weakened, but continuing her hunger strike from jail.&nbsp;

She caught the world's attention after she shared footage of bedridden patients lined up in a hospital corridor in Wuhan during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in China.

Watch |&nbsp;

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In another video, Zhang calmly handles a security officer who tried to stop her from filming.&nbsp;

"It's my right to monitor the government," she says as the man tries to snatch her phone.&nbsp;

However, Zhang's work, which exposed the mismanagement of the Chinese government, came at a great cost as she was detained in May.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-jails-citizen-journalist-zhang-zhan-for-four-years-over-wuhan-coronavirus-reports-352875">China jails citizen journalist Zhang Zhan for four years over Wuhan coronavirus reports</a>

Seven months later, the 37-year-old was sentenced to jail for four years for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". &nbsp;

'Not eating way to tell them, they are wrong'

One of her lawyers said Zhang has become very "thin" and "unrecognisable" as she is on a hunger strike to protest against the illegal treatment given to her, reports news agency AFP.&nbsp;

The lawyer said that she has been force-fed via nasal tubes.&nbsp;

"By not eating, she wants to protest against the illegal nature of her treatment," said Zhang Keke, a member of the legal team representing Zhang.

"She believes that not eating is a way to tell them they are wrong."

Zhang Zhan, journalist who showed the reality of the coronavirus outbreak in China's Wuhan, is severely weakened, but continuing her hunger strike from jail. She caught the world's attention after she shared footage of bedridden patients lined up in a hospital corridor in Wuhan during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in China.

Zhang Zhan, journalist who showed the reality of the coronavirus outbreak in China's Wuhan, is severely weakened, but continuing her hunger strike from jail. She caught the world's attention after she shared footage of bedridden patients lined up in a hospital corridor in Wuhan during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in China. Watch | In another video, Zhang calmly handles a security officer who tried to stop her from filming. "It's my right to monitor the government," she says as the man tries to snatch her phone. However, Zhang's work, which exposed the mismanagement of the Chinese government, came at a great cost as she was detained in May. Also read | China jails citizen journalist Zhang Zhan for four years over Wuhan coronavirus reports Seven months later, the 37-year-old was sentenced to jail for four years for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". 'Not eating way to tell them, they are wrong' One of her lawyers said Zhang has become very "thin" and "unrecognisable" as she is on a hunger strike to protest against the illegal treatment given to her, reports news agency AFP. The lawyer said that she has been force-fed via nasal tubes. "By not eating, she wants to protest against the illegal nature of her treatment," said Zhang Keke, a member of the legal team representing Zhang. "She believes that not eating is a way to tell them they are wrong."

Chinese journalist, who exposed Wuhan Covid-19 crisis, continues hunger strike from jail

The Islamic State group today published a video showing the execution-style killing of five Syrian citizen journalists they kidnapped eight months ago in the east of the war-torn country. 
 
The victims seen in the footage, which was posted on the blog of the group&#39;s Al-Bayan radio, were all from the city of Deir Ezzor, 60 per cent of which is controlled by IS.&nbsp; 
 
A Britain-based monitor that works with sources inside Syria to collect information on the five-year conflict said it recognised one of the victims as a citizen journalist it had worked with. 
 
The activists were kidnapped in Deir Ezzor in October and killed between November and December, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 
 
&quot;The video was only published now because IS, who are losing ground in Syria, want to send a message that they are still strong,&quot; Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. 
 
The jihadist group has come under pressure in Syria where a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is pressing an offensive to retake its bastion of Manbij near the Turkish border. 
 
IS has previously claimed the killing of several citizen journalists working secretly in areas it controls in Syria, including the group`s stronghold of Raqa, and accused them of being spies. 
 
It has also claimed to have killed activists in Turkey. 
 
Last October, the decapitated bodies of two activists originally from Raqa were found in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa, 55 kilometres (35 miles) from the Syrian border. 
 
In late December, Syrian anti-IS filmmaker Naji Jerf was killed in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. 
 
And in April, Syrian journalist Mohammed Zaher al-Shurqat died in hospital after he was shot in the head by IS jihadists in the same city. 
 
(AFP)

Under pressure from a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, IS now wants to send a message that they are still strong in the region

The Islamic State group today published a video showing the execution-style killing of five Syrian citizen journalists they kidnapped eight months ago in the east of the war-torn country. The victims seen in the footage, which was posted on the blog of the group's Al-Bayan radio, were all from the city of Deir Ezzor, 60 per cent of which is controlled by IS. A Britain-based monitor that works with sources inside Syria to collect information on the five-year conflict said it recognised one of the victims as a citizen journalist it had worked with. The activists were kidnapped in Deir Ezzor in October and killed between November and December, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The video was only published now because IS, who are losing ground in Syria, want to send a message that they are still strong," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The jihadist group has come under pressure in Syria where a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is pressing an offensive to retake its bastion of Manbij near the Turkish border. IS has previously claimed the killing of several citizen journalists working secretly in areas it controls in Syria, including the group`s stronghold of Raqa, and accused them of being spies. It has also claimed to have killed activists in Turkey. Last October, the decapitated bodies of two activists originally from Raqa were found in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa, 55 kilometres (35 miles) from the Syrian border. In late December, Syrian anti-IS filmmaker Naji Jerf was killed in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. And in April, Syrian journalist Mohammed Zaher al-Shurqat died in hospital after he was shot in the head by IS jihadists in the same city. (AFP)

IS releases video showing 'execution-style' killing of 5 Syrian citizen journalists

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