Monday, 28 December, 2020 - 08:15
Zhang Zhan was sentenced in a brief hearing in Shanghai s Pudong New District People s Court. (AFP) Asharq Al-Awsat
A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years for her livestream reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak unfurled, her lawyer said Monday, almost a year after details of an unknown viral pneumonia surfaced in the central China city.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, was sentenced at a brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly picking quarrels and provoking trouble for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak, reported AFP.
Her live reports and essays were widely shared on social media platforms in February, grabbing the attention of authorities, who have punished eight virus whistleblowers so far as they defang criticism of the government s response to the outbreak.
Chinese Citizen Journalist Jailed For Wuhan Virus Reporting By Laurie CHEN
12/28/20 AT 9:03 AM
A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years Monday for her reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak began, her lawyer said, almost a year after details of an unknown viral pneumonia surfaced in the central China city.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer who arrived at court in a wheelchair, was sentenced at a brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly picking quarrels and provoking trouble during her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. Zhang Zhan was sentenced in a brief hearing in Shanghai s Pudong New District People s Court Photo: AFP / Leo RAMIREZ
Chinese Citizen Journalist Jailed Four Years For Her Reports From Wuhan Published December 28th, 2020 - 08:14 GMT
China jails citizen-journalist for four years over reporting at peak of COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan (Twitter)
Highlights
Zhang has maintained her innocence, protesting the charges by conducting a hunger strike.
A Chinese court on Monday sentenced citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who reported on the coronavirus outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan to four years in prison.
The 37-year-old former lawyer was found guilty by the Shanghai Pudong New Area People s Court of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, a broad charge that is often leveled at activists, South China Morning Post reported.
COVID-19: China jails journalist Zhang Zhan for reporting Wuhan s coronavirus outbreak newshub.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newshub.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan has been jailed for four years.
Shanghai:
A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years Monday for her reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak unfurled, her lawyer said, almost a year after details of an unknown viral pneumonia surfaced in the central China city.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, was sentenced at a brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly picking quarrels and provoking trouble during her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak.
Her live reports and essays were shared on social media platforms in February, grabbing the attention of authorities, who have punished eight virus whistleblowers so far as they defang criticism of the government s response to the outbreak.