China: Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan is in hunger strike due to her unlawful imprisonment

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October 5, 2020, Shanghai, China -- The Coalition For Women In Journalism is severely worried about the health of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who is the only woman journalist who remains under bars for reporting on Covid-19 pandemic.

Zhang Zhan was arrested in June, 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.

An acquaintance of Zhang reached out to The Coalition For Women In Journalism and told that the journalist’s health is deteriorating due to the hunger strike she started last month after being forced to “admit being guilty”. Zhang has lost a serious amount of weight and has been force-fed in detention after she started a hunger strike to protest against her treatment. According to Malta Convention ratified by UN Member states, force feeding a person under hunger strike is against human rights and is equal to torture. Force feeding causes many disabilities, mainly “Wernicke Korsakoff” syndrome and may even cause death as the food may get stuck in the airway of the person who is being force fed.

China is notorious for suppressing press freedom and persecuting journalists for doing their jobs. The situation has worsened in the aftermath of Covid-19 following crackdowns on not just local journalists but also 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 Coalition For Women In Journalism insists once again that Zhang did nothing criminal and that journalism is not a crime. Chinese government should stop putting their journalists behind bars for fulfilling their duty to inform the public. We also call upon relevant UN agencies to investigate the situation and the breaches committed by the Chinese government against the Convention to Prevent Torture. CFWIJ demands Zhang’s immediate release and her transfer to a safe health institution within her will.