Chinese Journalist Zhang Zhan to be Released May 13 After 4 Years for COVID Reporting

May 13, 2024, 06:50 AM

Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist who was imprisoned for her reporting on the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, is set to be released on May 13 after serving a four-year sentence. Zhang was arrested and sentenced for 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble' after she traveled to Wuhan in February 2020 to document the early stages of the pandemic. During her imprisonment, Zhang went on a hunger strike to protest her treatment, which included being force-fed, restrained, and forced to wear shackles and hand restraints 24 hours a day.