In a significant development, Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan has been released after a four-year imprisonment for her critical coverage of Beijing’s Covid-19 response. Zhang, who was jailed for livestream reporting from Wuhan during the early days of the pandemic, remains under strict surveillance despite her release.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, ventured to Wuhan in February 2020, documenting the chaotic scenes as the outbreak began. Her candid reporting, questioning the authorities’ handling of the crisis, led to her detention in May 2020. She was later sentenced to four years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a charge often used to silence dissent.
Concerns over Zhang’s fate intensified when no information about her whereabouts emerged around her expected release date of May 13. However, a video released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday showed Zhang, in pyjamas, confirming her release. In the video, she stated, “Police released me from prison at five in the morning on May 13 and sent me to my older brother’s home in Shanghai. Thank you everyone for your help and concern, I wish you all the best… there is not much more that I can say.”
Despite her release, rights groups, including RSF, highlight that Zhang’s freedom is highly restricted. Jane Wang, a UK-based activist, noted on social media platform X that Zhang’s contact with the outside world and her daily activities are heavily monitored. “She only has limited freedom,” Wang wrote.
Zhang’s health has been a point of concern, exacerbated by several hunger strikes she undertook in prison to protest her conviction. The United Nations’ rights office and various activists have called for her unconditional release, stressing that her current conditions do not equate to true freedom.
“RSF remains concerned by her situation and emphasises that partial freedom is not freedom at all,” the media watchdog stated. They urged continued diplomatic efforts to ensure Zhang’s full and unconditional release without delay.
