China: CFWIJ concerned about journalist Zhan Zhang’s health and demands her immediate release
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*This report was updated on November 5, 2021.
August 27, 2021, Taipei- The health of journalist Zhan Zhang is rapidly deteriorating in prison. She was arrested last year in May for reporting on state mismanagement and negligence in their response to the COVID crisis. She was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2020 on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. The journalist has pre-existing medical conditions that her family has already raised the alarm on.
Journalist Zhan Zhang is currently being held at the Shanghai City Women’s Prison where she is routinely going on hunger strikes to protest against her arrest. She was already hospitalized once while in custody in July this year, however, her health appears to be failing still. According to a radio interview given by a family friend, Zhan suffers from stomach ulcers and reflux esophagitis. Her loved ones fear that her hunger strike will result in organ failure due to malnutrition. Despite her mother’s appeal, the authorities refused to grant Zhang bail for medical reasons. Zhan currently weighs less than 90 pounds and human rights groups working on the case have warned that Zhan might pass away in state custody if not provided the medical attention necessary.
On June 23, Zhan was arrested, as a result of live-streaming about the outbreak from Wuhan - the epicenter of Covid-19’s first reported cases - where she traveled early in February. Her video was live-streamed from the city on Twitter, YouTube - both of which are blocked in China - and various social media platforms.
She also wrote an article wherein she criticized Chinese authorities for their response towards containing the novel coronavirus and deemed the measures taken by the government as a violation of human rights. Zhang also questioned transparency related to the outbreak’s coverage and censorship of the media reporting about its spread.
China is notorious for suppressing press freedom and persecuting journalists for doing their jobs. Several journalists, including women, are currently cloaked behind bars in China for their journalism. The situation has worsened in the aftermath of Covid-19 following crackdowns on not just local journalists but also intimidating those working in the country for foreign publications and media outlets. CFWIJ’s documentation shows at least six women journalists behind the bars in various prisons across China.
The family made a public appeal for help on November 5, 2021, citing the current winter and Zhang’s continuously deteriorating health as grounds for medical bail. Her brother Zhang Ju took to her twitter account where he wrote that "She may not survive the coming cold winter," adding that he had urged his sister in letters to "take care of herself".
Her legal team also reported that Zhan was force-fed through nasal tubes while she was on hunger strike. The legal team claims they were not informed of this at the team and the information was only revealed to them later.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands that Zhan Zhang be immediately granted bail on medical grounds. The arrest of the journalist was condemnable since the very beginning but to not have her life be at risk due to state mishandling is abominable.
