Beijing – A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a former lawyer who reported the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak to four years in prison on charges of “taking fights and causing trouble,” said one of his lawyers. The Pudong New Area People’s Court in Shanghai’s financial center sentenced Zhang Zhan on charges of spreading false information, giving interviews to foreign media, disrupting public order and “maliciously manipulating” the outbreak.
Lawyer Zhang Keke upheld the sentence, but said it was “inconvenient” to provide details – usually an indication that the court had issued a partial gag order. He said the court did not ask Zhang if he would appeal, nor did he indicate whether he would appeal.
Zhang, 37, traveled to Wuhan in February and posted on various social media platforms about the outbreak that is believed to have occurred in downtown China late last year.
She was arrested in May amid harsh measures at the national level aimed at combating the outbreak and intense censorship to repel criticism of the government’s initial response. Zhang allegedly went on a prolonged hunger strike while in detention, forcing the authorities to feed her by force and is said to be in poor health.
Earlier this month, a Zhang flower lawyer, who wished to remain anonymous, told CBS News that Zhang was detained 24 hours a day with a belt around her waist and both hands tied to prevent her from pulling out a feeding tube. .
Chinese human rights defenders
The lawyer, who visited her at least twice, said she was experiencing headaches, dizziness and stomach and mouth pain due to the insertion of the gastric tube for forced feeding and that Zhang told her that “every day it is torture. “
Zhang is one of several citizen journalists whose work provided some of the only glimpses into the outside world of what was happening in Wuhan in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and which were later detained by the Chinese government.
Citizen journalist Chen Qiushi disappeared in February at about the same time as Li Zehua and Wuhan resident Fang Bin, both of whom reported on the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. Li Zehua was released in April.
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China has been accused of covering up the initial outbreak and delaying the release of crucial information, allowing the virus to spread and contributing to the pandemic that has left more than 80 million people worldwide and killed nearly 1.8 million. Beijing vigorously denies the allegations, saying it has taken swift action that has gained time for the rest of the world to prepare.
The Chinese-led Communist Party strictly controls the media and tries to block the dissemination of information it did not approve for publication.
In the early days of the outbreak, authorities reprimanded several Wuhan doctors for “rumors” after alerting friends on social media. The best known of the doctors, Li Wenliang, later gave up COVID-19.
Separately, France Presse reports that China has prosecuted 10 of 12 pro-democracy activists who tried to escape from Hong Kong by motor boat to the Taiwan shrine.
The United States has called for the immediate release of dissidents, saying it has “fled from tyranny.”
The ten of the so-called “Hong Kong 12” were in court in the southern city of Shenzhen. Their boat was intercepted on August 23.