Beijing: a journalist who was imprisoned because of the coverage of China’s initial response to Covid in Wuhan was close to death after a hunger strike, his family said, pushing new calls from his rights groups to be released directly.
Zhang Zhan, 38, a former lawyer, traveled to Wuhan in February 2020 to report chaos at the center of Pandemi, questioning the handling of an outbreak of authority in his smartphone video.
He was detained in May 2020 and was punished in December to four years in prison for “picking a fight and provoking the problem” – the charge that is routinely used to reduce dissent.
He is now very short of weight and “may not live longer”, his brother Zhang Ju wrote last week on a Twitter account verified by people who were close to this problem.
Zhang had a hunger strike and was forced through a nasal tube, his legal team, who did not have information about his current condition, to AFP earlier this year.
“He might not survive the upcoming winter,” Zhang Ju wrote, adding that he had urged his sister in the letters to “take care of himself”.
“In his heart, it seems there is only God and his belief, without caring for anything else.” Zhang Ju’s posts sparked a new call for the release of his sister, with Amnesty International urging the Chinese government on Thursday to “release him immediately so he could end a hunger strike and accept medical treatment according to him”.
Amnesty Gwen Lee’s campaign said in a statement that Zhang’s detention was “embarrassing attack on human rights”.
Someone who was close to the journalist residents, who refused to be named, told AFP the family had asked Zhang more than three weeks ago in Shanghai women’s prison where he was detained but had not received a response.
AFP could not reach Zhang Ju while Mrs.
Zhang refused to comment.
Shanghai prison also did not offer a response when approached by AFP.
Zhang is now unable to walk or even raise his head without help, according to journalists without Borders (RSF).
The head of the RSF East Asia Bureau, Cedric Alviani, said “the international community (must) put pressure on the Chinese regime and secure Zhang Zhan’s direct release before it was too late.” “He only did his job as a reporter and should never be detained, not to mention receiving a four-year prison sentence.” China has enjoyed its success in maintaining domestic infections to dripping sporadic outbreaks.
The government has submitted a narrative that praised the Communist Party by restoring almost normal life even when the death toll and infection continued to explode throughout the world.
But those who threaten the official version by raising questions about the initial cover of the government and handling Wuhan’s drafting against party wrath.
Zhang was among a group of four citizen journalists – including Chen Qiushi, Fang bin and Li Zehua – detained after reporting from Wuhan.