Chinese journalist, who covered Wuhan Covid-19 outbreak to face trial

New Delhi, Delhi, India

A Chinese journalist, who reported the coronavirus crisis from Wuhan earlier this year, will face trial later this month, her lawyers said on Friday.

China has been criticised for covering up the initial outbreak that hit Wuhan in January. 

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Zhang Zhan visited Wuhan in February and reported her experiences on social media. 

Also read | Nightclubs reopen in COVID-19's original epicentre Wuhan

She criticised the government's response to handling the Covid-19 pandemic in her essays that include denouncing strict lockdown. 

The citizen journalist was detained in May and is accused of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", as per a court notice seen by news agency AFP. 

The accusation is routinely used by Beijing to silence dissidents and if proved could lead to a maximum sentence of five years. 

Zhang's lawyers received the court notice earlier this week that said the hearing will begin on December 28 in a Shanghai court. 

Her lawyers said that Zhang began a hunger strike in June, but has been force-fed through a nasal tube. 

In a note shared on social media, her lawyer Zhang Keke said that the 37-year-old's health was extremely poor and she faced headaches, dizziness and stomach pain.

Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin and Li Zehua were the other citizen journalists that were detained earlier this year for this reporting from Wuhan.