Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan, who was previously jailed for documenting the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, has been sentenced to an additional four years in prison, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Zhang, 42, was convicted on Friday, September 19, under the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” the same accusation that led to her December 2020 imprisonment after she published first-hand accounts of the coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan. RSF confirmed the sentencing.
China’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on the case, and Reuters reported it was unclear whether Zhang currently has legal representation.
RSF condemned the ruling, calling Zhang a symbol of press freedom. “She should be celebrated globally as an ‘information hero’, not trapped in brutal prison conditions,” said RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager Aleksandra Bielakowska. “Her ordeal and persecution must end. It is more urgent than ever for the international diplomatic community to pressure Beijing for her immediate release.”
Zhang’s initial reports included videos from overwhelmed hospitals and empty streets in Wuhan that contradicted the official narrative about the scale of the outbreak. She was arrested after months of posting online, and her then-lawyer, Ren Quanniu, said she believed she was “being persecuted for exercising her freedom of speech.”
Following her arrest, Zhang launched a hunger strike, leading police to restrain her hands and force-feed her through a tube, her lawyers said at the time. She was sentenced to four years in prison in 2020 but released in May 2024, only to be detained again three months later. She was eventually held at Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Centre before Friday’s new sentencing, RSF said.
Ren wrote on X that the new charges were linked to comments Zhang posted on overseas websites. “She should not be deemed guilty,” he added.
International press freedom groups have condemned China’s actions. “This is the second time Zhang Zhan has faced trial on baseless charges that amount to nothing more than a blatant act of persecution for her journalism work,” said Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. “Chinese authorities must put an end to the arbitrary detention of Zhang, drop all charges and free her immediately.”
China has been widely criticised for its treatment of journalists. RSF said the country currently holds at least 124 media workers in detention, making it the world’s largest jailer of journalists. It ranks 178th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
The ruling also comes a week after China’s top legislators passed a new bill to accelerate public health emergency responses, allowing citizens to directly report emergencies and bypass traditional government channels.
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