By AdvocateNews on 28/12/2020
Views: 1,167
A Chinese court on Monday sentenced citizen journalist, Zhang Zhan, to four years in prison for her live stream reporting of COVID-19 breakout from Wuhan.
Zhan, who was detained in May, was convicted on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” in her coverage of the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak, the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.
Dozens of her supporters and diplomats had gathered outside Shanghai Pudong New District People’s Court on Monday morning before the trial began, according to the report.
The New York Times reported that the 37-year-old former lawyer has been on a hunger strike since June.
Her lawyers say that she has been forced-fed via a nasal tube as concerns grew about her health.
She said she refuses to participate in the trial. She says it’s an insult,” Ren Quanniu, one of the lawyers, said after visiting Zhang in mid-December in Shanghai, where she is being held.
Ren, who visited separately later, pleaded with Zhang to eat, but she refused.
“She’s much paler than in her videos and photos, deathly pale,” Ren said, adding that Zhang appeared to have aged several decades.
"It’s really hard to believe that she’s the same person as you saw online,” the counsel further stressed.
China’s court system is notoriously opaque, with sensitive cases often heard behind closed doors.
The trial comes just weeks before an international team of World Health Organization experts are expected to arrive in China to investigate the origins of COVID-19.
Posted 28/12/2020 11:37:55 AM
You may also like...
_150x150.jpeg)
Eighteen South African Police Officers on trial over...

China appoints Cannavaro as national team manager

Nollywood: Actors Guild demands autopsy report on Chinedu...

Obi Cubana’s source of wealth , nobody’s business...

2023: Nobody complained when you dominated 90% of...

Nnamdi Kanu’s trial: DSS bows to judge’s order...

Reps pass bill abolishing B.Sc/HND dichotomy

2023: Obi declares presidential ambition, promises to take...

Man kills his 85-year-old mother, two kids in...

Nwoye in solidarity with disenfranchised delegates withdraws from...

PDP candidate, Seyi Makinde, emerges Oyo governor-elect

Ohanaeze Election: Igbos got it right, ready for...