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In China, the media is largely controlled by the state. That’s why citizen journalists, like Zhan, have emerged to report what is happening independently. Now they are threatened.
Zhang Zhan, a 37-year-old lawyer from Shanghai, China, traveled to Wuhan province in February at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak to relate what was happening in this place. The country’s media is largely controlled by the state, which is why citizen journalists like her have emerged to try to offer information independently. For their work, these citizens suffer censorship and punishment by the government, such as jail.
Zhan became the first person convicted on Monday of telling what was happening with Covid-19 in China. According to the authorities, Zhan had “sparked altercations and sought trouble” with his reports. But for Amnesty International, a human rights NGO, all she did was report on the arrests of other independent reporters and the harassment suffered by relatives of the victims of the coronavirus pandemic.
Zhan shared videos that also showed citizens concerned about their income and overcrowded hospitals. She strongly questioned the government for wanting to silence those who asked questions about the emergency, as if the blockade on Wuhan province was strict enough. In addition, he criticized the government campaign in which it highlights its response to the pandemic.
“The government’s way of running this city has been intimidation and threats. This is really the tragedy of this country ”, he pointed out in one of his videos. “If you post this online, you will have to take responsibility,” a man dressed as guard told him in his penultimate video.
In May, Zhan abruptly stopped posting content about the pandemic. She had been arrested by the authorities for “spreading lies”. Awaiting his trial, this chronicler of the tragedy in China began a hunger strike considering that her detention was unjust. Authorities force-fed her through a feeding tube.
The authorities did not allow the entry of foreign journalists at their trial, held this Monday. The sentence handed down was four years in prison for “causing problems”, a vague charge that, as he explains The New York Times, “Is commonly used against critics of the government.”
Zhan sobbed upon hearing her conviction and raised alarms about her mental state, according to her lawyer, who added that she refused to accept the charges because she considered that there was no reason to censor her information, published through Chinese platforms such as WeChat and other prohibited platforms. in the country like Twitter or YouTube.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called for journalist Zhan to be released as soon as possible.
“We have spoken about his case with the authorities throughout 2020 and we consider it an example of excessive restrictions on freedom of expression in relation to Covid-19,” Bachelet’s office communicated on the social network twitter.
There are three other citizen journalists who disappeared in Wuhan after reporting on the pandemic on the ground. His reporting contrasted with the government narrative. One of them is Fang Bin, who is reportedly under surveillance.
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