One year after her second arrest, Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan still detained without trial
rsf.org
Exactly one year ago, Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan, famous for covering the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, was arrested for a second time for reporting on human rights abuses in China. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of this hero of journalism, who still awaits trial and risks dying due to her prolonged hunger strike in protest of her mistreatment in detention.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41203250

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On 28 August 2024, Zhang Zhan was arrested and placed in Shanghai’s Pudong Detention Centre for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a criminal offence that carries up to five years in prison, following her reporting on human rights abuses by the Chinese regime. For the past year, the journalist — a laureate of the 2021 RSF Press Freedom Award — has been cut off from the outside world, with most information about her whereabouts kept secret to prevent the international community from taking action against the appalling conditions in which she is being held.

In China, detention facilities are often harsher than prisons, with overcrowded cells, limited access to sunlight or exercise, strict restrictions on contact with lawyers and no family visits allowed. Unlike prisons, where inmates have some level of access to the outside world, detention centres are built for control and isolation, often aiming to break detainees.

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