A whistleblower in China has been sentenced to four years in jail a second time, an activist group said.
Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zang was jailed for four years in December 2020 over her coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.
But just 16 months after her release, she was detained and charged for ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ – a charge routinely used in China to target those who criticise the government.
The 42-year-old journalist appeared at court in Shanghai on Friday and was sentenced to four more years, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an NGO advocating for media freedom.
Zhang’s friend, named only as Pei, told the TV broadcaster NTDT that people, including diplomats and journalists, were barred from attending the four-hour trial.
She said: ‘The public was kept in the dark. I think this is inappropriate. There was no public trial, and only her father and mother were allowed to attend.’
Officials outside the court declined to confirm a trial was taking place.
Zhang provoked the Chinese government after she travelled to Wuhan in early 2020 to report and record videos of the outbreak of Covid-19 in which she questioned officials’ handling of the situation.
She was one of several independent journalists detained for reporting about the outbreak at the time.
In May of that year, she was detained by local authorities and sentenced to four years in prison.
Human rights experts have called for her release.
Aleksandra Bielakowska, advocacy manager at RSF, said: ‘Zhang Zhan sacrificed everything to expose abuses and human rights violations by the Chinese regime.’
Amnesty International’s China director Sarah Brooks said that Zhang’s second conviction is a ‘betrayal of China’s stated priority of upholding the rule of law.’.
She added: ‘Zhang’s baseless conviction should be quashed, and she should be immediately released. Pending release, she must be provided with access to counsel, her family and adequate healthcare.’
The non-profit organisation reported that Zhang ‘nearly died’ while on hunger strike in January, and was being force-fed by a gastric tube.
According to RSF data, at least 121 media workers are detained in China.
It also ranks China as 178th out of 180 countries in the RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index, with only North Korea and Eritrea ranking lower.
China’s foreign ministry has yet to respond to a request for comment.
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