Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was jailed for reporting on the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, is at risk of dying if she is not urgently released to receive medical treatment, Amnesty International has said.
Zhang Zhan, who was sentenced to four years in prison in December for posting on social media about China's handling of the outbreak, has been on hunger strike in protest at her incarceration. Her family say they do not expect her to live through the winter if she is not released on medical grounds.
“Zhang Zhan, who should never have been jailed in the first place, now appears to be at grave risk of dying in prison. The Chinese authorities must release her immediately so that she can end her hunger strike and receive the appropriate medical treatment she desperately needs. The Chinese government's prosecution of Zhang Zhan, simply because she tried to uncover what was happening in Wuhan amid huge government secrecy about the pandemic, is a shameful attack on human rights.”
Since her trial, the authorities have refused to let her speak to her lawyer or meet her family in person. She has been allowed occasional phone or video calls with relatives, under supervision.
In a Twitter post on 30 October, her brother Zhang Ju wrote: “I don’t think she’s going to live much longer. If she doesn’t make it through the coming winter, I hope the world will remember her as she once was.”
Zhang Zhan is featured in Amnesty International's 2021 Write for Rights campaign calling for her release.
“Zhang Zhan is a victim of the Chinese government's zero-tolerance approach to criticism and opposing views. She has been imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression, and she must be immediately and unconditionally released. Pending her release, she must have regular, unrestricted access to her family and lawyers of her choice, and not be subjected further to any ill-treatment. If Zhang Zhan dies in prison, her blood will be on the Chinese government's hands.”
Full statement:
张展狱中病危，国际特赦组织紧急呼吁中国当局立即释放张展
“张展是中国政府对批评、异见零容忍政策的受害者。她仅因和平行使言论自由权利而被监禁。中国当局必须立即无条件释放张展。在她尚未获释时，必须让她定期无限制地会见家属、自己选择的律师，而且不再遭受任何虐待。若张展死于狱中，这笔血债归于中国当局。”