Beijing:
A citizen journalist detained in China right after reporting from the Covid-19 ground zero of Wuhan will face trial later this month, her lawyer stated Friday, as fears develop for her wellness.
The coronavirus initial emerged in central China late final year, and Beijing has faced accusations that it covered up the initial outbreak and silenced early whistleblowers.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, travelled to Wuhan in February and livestreamed her experiences on social media. She also wrote essays crucial of the government’s response — which includes the strict lockdown of millions of people today.
Zhang was detained in May and is accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, according to a court notice noticed by AFP — a charge routinely utilized to suppress dissidents, with a maximum prison sentence of 5 years.
The 37-year-old’s lawyers received notice earlier this week that the hearing will take location in a Shanghai court on December 28.
Zhang started a hunger strike in June, her lawyers stated, and has been force-fed by way of a nasal tube.
Her lawyer Zhang Keke wrote in a note circulated on social media that her wellness was incredibly poor and she suffered from headaches, dizziness and stomach discomfort.
“Restrained 24 hours a day, she needs assistance going to the bathroom,” he wrote.
“She feels psychologically exhausted, like every day is a torment… she said her current physical state is too hard to bear.”
The lawyer stated that she has vowed not to quit her hunger strike, regardless of the repeated pleas of her loved ones, buddies and lawyers.
Zhang was crucial of the early response in Wuhan, writing in a February essay that the government “didn’t give people enough information, then simply locked down the city”.
“This is a great violation of human rights,” she wrote.
Zhang is the initial to face trial of 4 citizen journalists detained by authorities earlier this year right after reporting from Wuhan.
Previous attempts by AFP to get in touch with the other 3 — Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin and Li Zehua — have been unsuccessful.
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