Citizen journalist detained over Wuhan reporting 'restrained and fed by tube'

Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist and 37-year-old former lawyer, has been on a hunger strike at a detention facility near Shanghai. Zhang was arrested in May and accused of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble”, an accusation frequently used against critics and activists inside China, after reporting on social media and streaming accounts.

Zhang has been detained for more than six months after reporting on the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. Last month she was formally indicted on charges of spreading false information.

Zhang was previously detained on similar accusations by Chinese authorities in 2018, and again in 2019 for voicing support for Hong Kong activists. She denies the charge of falsifying information, telling her lawyer that all the information was gathered firsthand through interviews with Wuhan residents.

Source: The Guardian #Dec10

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/10/citizen-journalist-detained-over-wuhan-reporting-restrained-and-fed-by-tube?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

#Wuhan #Covid19 #CitizenJournalist #China #ChinaDetention