Beijing, China

Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who was jailed over her reporting on the early days of the coronavirus pandemic was expected to be released on Monday. She spent around four years in prison. 

Advertisment

The 40-year-old was in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in February 2020 to cover the growing outbreak. She was also focussed on the government's effort to contain the pandemic, which remains a controversial matter even today. 

Zhang, who is a former lawyer from Shanghai, was posting first-hand accounts from crowded hospitals and empty streets in China. She was detained in May 2020 after weeks of reporting that included videos. 

Also read: Ex-US Marine pilot arrested in Australia worked with Chinese hacker unknowingly, lawyer says 

Advertisment

According to the court documents seen by the news agency Reuters, she also went on a hunger strike in late June. Her lawyers said at the time that the hunger strike prompted police to strap her hands and force-feed her with a tube. 

She was convicted by a Shanghai court of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and sentenced to four years imprisonment in December 2020. 

An indictment for Zhang's case published by human rights activists indicated she would be released on Monday, but so far, there's no update on whether or not she was released. 

Advertisment

Zhang Keke, who is one of her lawyers, also told the news agency that he couldn't yet confirm whether she had been released. "Zhang Zhan's relatives and family haven't yet responded to me," he said. 

Also read: US and China ratchet up AI arms race amid growing strategic concerns 

Watch: AstraZeneca withdraws Covid-19 vaccines 

×

What did Chinese authorities say? 

Wang Wenbin, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, told reporters he had no "relevant information" on the matter. 

Jane Wang, who is a UK-based advocate for Zhang Zhan's release, said Zhang's family was pressured by the authorities and warned not to engage with the media. 

"It is totally unacceptable that the Chinese government subjects many human rights defenders and their families to this kind of cruelty. Even after their release from prison, they are still deprived of their basic rights," Wang told Reuters. 

COVID-19 pandemic 

Coronavirus spread was declared a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, but ever since, several claims and counterclaims have been made over its origin. Many assumed that it spread in a live animal market in China before spreading throughout the world. China has been accused of hiding information regarding the origin of the virus. 

The outbreak became a pandemic in just a few weeks that year in March, and caused havoc on mankind, killing millions of people and leaving many more reeling with long-Covid. 

(With inputs from agencies)