US raises deep concerns over disappearance of Chinese Covid-19 journalist – South China Morning Post

The United States has raised deep concerns over the disappearance of Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist who was expected to be released from prison on Monday.

Zhang, a former lawyer, was arrested in May 2020, about a year after she began reporting on Covid-19 from Wuhan, the epicentre of the initial coronavirus outbreak in China, where she live-streamed scenes of hospitals and the local pandemic response.

Days after she was set to be released, advocacy groups said they still had not heard from Zhang or her family.

The US Department of State released a statement on Thursday, saying it was deeply concerned over reports that [Peoples Republic of China] citizen journalist Ms Zhang Zhan has disappeared following her expected release from Shanghai Womens Prison on May 13.

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Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan sentenced to four years in jail for Wuhan coronavirus reports

Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan sentenced to four years in jail for Wuhan coronavirus reports

Zhang was one of the few citizen journalists in China to report on the early experiences of people in Wuhan during the citys lockdown.

She was the first to face trial for reporting on the pandemic in the central Chinese city and received the harshest punishment among several prominent peers including Chen Qiushi, Li Zehua and Fang Bin.

Zhang went on hunger strike in protest shortly after her arrest and remained on intermittent strike during her sentence.

In 2021, Zhang was awarded the prize for courage at the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Awards. According to the Paris-based advocacy group, China is ranked 172 out of 180 countries on its press freedom index.

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US raises deep concerns over disappearance of Chinese Covid-19 journalist - South China Morning Post