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Of: TT
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Photo: Melanie Wang / AP / TT
Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan in Wuhan in April this year.
The EU is also criticizing the verdict against Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who critically reported on the virus outbreak in Wuhan earlier this year.
“According to credible sources, Ms. Zhang has been subjected to torture and ill-treatment during her detention and her health has seriously deteriorated,” said a statement from an EU foreign policy spokesperson.
Zhang’s reports of overcrowded hospitals and harsh authorities in Wuhan during the pandemic largely contradicted official descriptions.
According to Zhang’s lawyer, she was arrested in May on charges of “starting a fight and causing trouble,” a criminal classification often used in China to silence dissent.
She was recently sentenced to four years in prison.
The EU now demands that she, like several lawyers and human rights activists imprisoned in China, be released immediately.
The UN and the governments of several countries have also criticized the arrests.
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