Chinese blogger jailed for reporting on Wuhan Covid crisis 'may not live much longer' after going on hunger strike

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...rnalist-jailed-Covid-reports-close-death.html

Chinese blogger jailed for reporting on Wuhan Covid crisis 'may not live much longer' after going on hunger strike

Zhang Zhan, 38, travelled to Wuhan in February 2020 to report on pandemic
The former lawyer questioned authorities' handling of the outbreak in videos
She was arrested in May 2020 and sentenced to four years in jail in December
She is now very underweight and 'may not live for much longer', family have said

By Chris Jewers For Mailonline and Afp
Published: 23:58 EDT, 4 November 2021 | Updated: 08:37 EDT, 5 November 2021

A citizen journalist jailed for her coverage of China's initial response to Covid in Wuhan is close to death after going on hunger strike, her family have said, prompting renewed calls from rights groups for her immediate release.

Zhang Zhan, 38, a former lawyer, travelled to Wuhan in February 2020 to report on the chaos at the pandemic's epicentre, questioning authorities' handling of the outbreak in her smartphone videos.

She was detained in May 2020 and sentenced in December to four years in jail for 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble' - a charge routinely used to suppress dissent...

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/journalist-zhang-11192021143333.html

United Nations calls on China to release hunger-striking Chinese citizen journalist
Zhang Zhan's family say her intermittent hunger strike in prison has put her life in danger.
By Yitong Wu, Chingman and Han Qing
2021.11.19

The U.N. on Friday called on the Chinese authorities to release jailed, ailing citizen journalist Zhang Zhan and allow her to receive life-saving medical treatment.

"We are very concerned about the rapidly deteriorating health of Zhang Zhan, whose life is reported to be at serious risk from a hunger strike she is currently conducting in protest against her conviction in December 2020 for documenting the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Chinese city of Wuhan," Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the office of the high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement.

"We call on the Chinese authorities to consider Zhang's immediate and unconditional release, at the very least, on humanitarian grounds, and to make urgent life-saving medical care available, respecting both her will and her dignity," Hurtado said.

Zhang recently won a major press freedom award for her "notable contribution" to press freedom after she reported from the front line of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in the central Chinese city of Wuhan...

++++++++++++++++++++++

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/20/china-un-jailed-journalist-zhang-zhan-covid

China slams ‘irresponsible’ UN comments on jailed journalist
UN, rights groups have urged Beijing to release Zhang Zhan, who was jailed for her coverage of China’s COVID-19 response.
20 Nov 2021

China has strongly criticised the United Nations over comments demanding the release of a citizen journalist jailed for her coverage of the country’s COVID-19 response.

The Chinese mission in Geneva voiced outrage on Saturday at what it said were the “irresponsible” and “erroneous” comments made by the UN rights office OHCHR on Friday in the case of Zhang Zhan...