Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan Wrongfully Sentenced to Four More Years in Prison
Just months after release, on 19 September 2025, Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four more years in prison in an attempt to target whistleblowers and critics of the CCP.
A former lawyer turned citizen journalist, Zhang travelled to Wuhan in early 2020 as COVID-19 was spreading. At a time when state media was tightly scripted and information suppressed in the name of “stability,” she documented the real horrors unfolding: overwhelmed hospitals turning away patients, shortages of essential supplies, and the extreme uncertainty of a developing pandemic. Her videos became some of the only independent reports to emerge from Wuhan’s lockdown.
For this, Zhang was sentenced to four years in prison, where she endured hunger strikes and lasting damage to her health. Now, for refusing to stay silent, she has been rearrested and sentenced for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after sharing posts on social media that “seriously damaged the country’s image.” Notably, which specific posts led to her charges have not been publicly confirmed, and her arrest followed a trip to the northwestern province of Gansu where she met with other human rights defenders.
Her case is not only about China—It is about the right to truth in moments of global crisis. Zhang Zhan’s bravery deserves recognition and solidarity, not another prison term. Please help to spread awareness of Zhang's story and demand for her immediate and unconditional release.
