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By The Washington Post 
4h ago
TAIPEI – A citizen journalist who documented the despair of Wuhan residents at the height of the coronavirus outbreak in China was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday in a case that underscored Beijing’s extreme sensitivity to criticism of its pandemic response.
In a closed-door trial that lasted less than two hours, Shanghai authorities sentenced 37-year-old Zhang Zhan for “provoking fights and causing trouble,” a charge that is often used against dissidents.
Zhang, a former lawyer-turned-activist, traveled to Wuhan in February, where she filmed from overwhelmed hospitals, neighborhoods and community centers, providing a rare window into the closed city. His critical reports accusing the government of suppressing the voices of ordinary citizens and failing to inform residents about the reality of the situation contrasted with the coverage of the state media, one of the few sources of information. Zhang was arrested in May.
Chinese authorities often hold sensitive trials involving human rights activists during the Christmas season, when much of the rest of the world is distracted. Procedures, sometimes announced at the last minute, are almost always carried out in secret. In another similar case, 10 of the so-called “12 from Hong Kong” protesters caught in the sea while trying to flee the crackdown in their city were expected to go to trial in Shenzhen on Monday.
During Zhang’s trial on Monday, which rights defenders viewed as little more than a show trial, the activist had a chance to speak.
“The government should not censor the speech of its citizens,” he said, according to his lawyer, Zhang Keke.
Zhang’s human rights groups and friends are especially concerned about his health in custody. On a hunger strike since June, she has been force-fed with a tube and restrained. He has vowed to continue his hunger strike, according to his lawyer, despite pleas from family and friends. Advocates say she has been treated more harshly because of her refusal to cooperate or admit her guilt.
Zhang is one of several citizen journalists arrested for reporting on Wuhan, but the first to be sentenced to prison. His verdict comes ahead of a mission to China led by the World Health Organization to investigate the origins of the virus, a politically charged topic, as the Trump administration and other critics say Beijing should take responsibility for the pandemic now more than 1.7 million has been collected. lives.
“It shows that we will never know the truth about the pandemic,” said Leo Lan, research and advocacy consultant for Chinese Human Rights Defenders. “The harsh sentence of Zhang Zhan will have a deterrent effect of silencing others who witnessed what happened in Wuhan earlier this year.”
In front of Shanghai’s Pudong New District People’s Court, where Zhang was tried, the police pushed reporters and supporters from the building and detained at least nine people. On social media, activists posted photos of Zhang and posters that read: “Zhang Zhan is not guilty,” calling on the international community to pay attention to his case.
“The handling of Wuhan is very delicate. A lot of people in China are still very angry about the cover-up and initial downplay,” said Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Meanwhile, human rights activists and lawyers warned that the 12 Hong Kong residents, aged 16 to 33, held incommunicado in Shenzhen for the past four months are at risk of torture and an almost certain sentence in the system. politicized justice system of the continent.
The group was captured in Chinese waters in August as they attempted to escape to Taiwan by speedboat after the introduction of a draconian national security law in their city.
Their families were only notified of the hearing on Friday. Eight members of the group have been charged with illegally crossing the border from China, while two have been charged with organizing the border violation. Two minors of the group will be tried in a separate hearing.
Unable to attend the trial, the families of Hong Kong detainees requested that the proceedings be broadcast live and that foreign governments send envoys.
“By holding the trial of the 12 in secret, prohibiting the attendance of the media and families, the Chinese authorities are disregarding basic human rights, acting against the principle of ‘brilliant judiciary’ that they have been in. promoting, “a letter from families published Sunday said.
Barricades surrounded the courthouse in Shenzhen on Monday, where foreign diplomats from the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, Portugal and other countries were barred from entering.
Before the trial, the US Embassy in China called for the release of the detainees. “Their supposed ‘crime’ was to flee from tyranny. Communist China will stop at nothing to prevent its people from seeking freedom elsewhere,” the embassy said in a statement.
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