“[She] looked devastated,” Ren Quanniu, one of Zhang Zhan’s lawyers, said of his client’s reaction to the sentencing Monday, BBC reported.
“Maybe I have a rebellious soul,” Zhan, who was warned of her February reports from Wuhan, said in an interview obtained by BBC. “I’m just documenting the truth. Why can’t I show the truth?”
Her lawyers say that she is restrained throughout the day and force-fed through a feeding tube.
Leo Lan, a research and advocacy consultant for the rights group Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, told BBC that Chinese officials are sending a clear message Zhan’s arrest and sentencing.
China: Upcoming trial and ongoing arbitrary detention of freelance journalist Zhang Zhan / December 21, 2020 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT omct.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from omct.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.