A Chinese citizen who is a journalist was detained in China following her report from the COVID-19 ground zero of Wuhan is scheduled to face trial later this month, informed her lawyer on Friday as concerns rose about her health condition.
The coronavirus first emerged in central China late last year and has been a topic of controversy ever since. Beijing especially has faced accusations saying that it covered up the spread of the virus and silenced people who were trying to warn the world.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer had been forthcoming in reporting of the coronavirus situation in China on her social media. She even wrote essays criticising the government’s response to the virus including the lockdowns.
Following which, she was accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and was detained in May last year. This is a charge that is often used by the Chinese government to suppress whistle blowers and could lead to a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Zhang is the first journalist to face who was detained by Chinese authorities to face trial this year. The hearing will reportedly take place in a Shanghai court on December 28.
Zhang had begun a hunger strike but was force fed via nasal tube. He lawyer has informed of the terrible conditions that she is facing through her social media. In a post, she informed that Zhang’s health was extremely poor and she suffers from headaches, dizziness and stomach pain. But she still hasn’t given up on her hunger strike.
Zhang was very critical of the government’s response to the virus, writing in one of her posts that “didn’t give people enough information, then simple locked down the city. This is a great violation of human rights”
