BEIJING – A Chinese citizen journalist who covered Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak has been jailed for four years.
Zhang Zhan was found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a frequent charge against activists.
The 37-year-old former lawyer was detained in May, and has been on hunger strike for several months.
Zhang is one of several citizen journalists who have run into trouble for reporting on Wuhan.
Zhang had travelled to Wuhan in February to independently report on the outbreak there. Her livestreamed reports and essays were widely shared on social media, bringing her to the attention of the Chinese authorities.
“Maybe I have a rebellious soul… I’m just documenting the truth. Why can’t I show the truth?” she said in a clip. “I won’t stop what I’m doing because this country can’t go backwards.” (BBC)
