Zhang Zhan, a 37-year-old civilian journalist who reported earlier this year on overcrowded hospitals and the conditions in Wuhan, was sentenced to four years on Monday for the offense of ‘picking quarrels and provoking problems’, according to reports.
Reuters, referring to her lawyer, reported that there was likely to be an appeal and said her client believed she was “being prosecuted for exercising her freedom of speech.”
A pro-democracy activist holds posters with a photo of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan outside the Chinese central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong. (AP Photo / Kin Cheung)
The New York Times reported that the jail sentence was likely to be seen as a ‘serious warning to those challenging the government’s official story of the pandemic’.
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President Trump blamed China for dealing with the virus in the early stages. He said the disease could spread so quickly around the world due to the mismanagement of the disease.
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In June, senior Chinese officials released a comprehensive report on the country’s response, defending Beijing’s actions.
“The Chinese government has not postponed or covered up anything,” said Ma Xiaowei, chairwoman of the National Health Commission. “Instead, we immediately reported virus data and relevant information about the epidemic to the international community and made a significant contribution to the prevention and control of the epidemic around the world.”
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According to the Reuters report, Zhang posted videos on YouTube showing interviews with residents and images from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
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She was critical of the response and was eventually detained in May. “The government’s way of running this city was just intimidation and threats,” she once said in a video. “This is truly the tragedy of this country.”
Associated Press contributed to this report