Zhang Zhan is in prison in China because of her work reporting on the Covid-19 outbreak. Take action now and demand her freedom.
We should seek the truth and seek it at all costs.
Zhang Zhan
Zhang Zhan risked everything to report on Covid-19 when it first appeared in Wuhan, China. In February 2020, she decided to travel to Wuhan as a citizen journalist in order to provide on-the-ground information about what was happening there. The former lawyer took to social media, reporting how government officials had detained independent reporters and harassed families of Covid-19 patients.
Zhang Zhan went missing in Wuhan in May 2020. She had been taken by the Chinese authorities and detained in Shanghai. The judge sentenced her to four years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. The authorities refuse to let her see her family.
In June 2020, she began a hunger strike to protest her detention. In December, Zhang Zhan’s body was so weak she had to attend her trial in a wheelchair. She continued her protest as a partial hunger strike in the same month to avoid punishment and force-feeding.
Now, Zhang Zhan remains on a partial hunger strike despite the grave risk to her health. which continues to deteriorate at a dramatic rate. She was admitted to hospital due to severe malnutrition on 31 July this year and now weighs less than 40kg.
Citizen journalists were the only source of uncensored, first-hand information about the Covid-19 outbreak in China. Because they work independently of state-controlled media, citizen journalists face constant harassment for exposing information the government would rather keep quiet. Zhang Zhan must be released immediately.
Sign the petition and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Zhang Zhan.
झाङ झान, चीन
त्यसबेला कोभिड–१९ महामारीको केन्द्र बनेको वुहान शहरमा जब बन्दाबन्दी लागू गरियो नयाँ देखा पर्दै गरेको सङ्कटको बारेमा समाचार लेख्ने झाङ झान थोरै नागरिक पत्रकार मध्येकी एक थिइन् । वास्तविकता र सत्य, तथ्यलाई बाहिर ल्याउने दृढताका साथ यी भूतपूर्व अधिवक्ताले फेब्रुअरी २०२० मा महामारीले समस्याग्रस्त वुहान शहरमा यात्रागरिन् । उनले सरकारी अधिकारीहरूले कसरी स्वतन्त्र पत्रकारहरूलाई हिरासतमा लिएका थिए र कोभिड–१९ का बिरामीका आफन्तलाई दुःख दिएका थिए भन्ने कुराको बारेमा सामाजिक सञ्जालमार्फत सार्वजनिक गरिन् । त्यसबेला महामारीको बारेमा सत्यतथ्य जानकारीका लागि एक मात्र स्रोत भनेको नागरिक पत्रकारहरू मात्र थिए ।
राज्यद्वारा नियन्त्रित मिडिया भन्दा बाहिर रही स्वतन्त्र काम गर्ने नागरिक पत्रकारहरूले सरकारले गोप्य राख्न खोजेको जानकारी सार्वजनिक गरेको आरोपमा बारम्बार दुव्र्यवहार भोग्ने गर्छन् । झाङ झान सन् २०२० मेमा वुहानबाट बेपत्ता भएकी थिइन् । पछि अधिकारीहरूले उनलाई ६४० कि.मि. परको शाङ्घाइमा प्रहरीले हिरासतमा लिएको कुरा स्वीकारेका थिए । सन् २०२० जुनमा उनले आफ्नो गिरफ्तारीको विरोध गर्दै हिरासतमा अनसन सुरू गरिन् । डिसेम्बरमा सुनुवाइको लागि उनलाई अदालतमा लग्दा उनको शरीर यति कम्जोर भैइसकेको थियो की उनले सुनुवाइमा अदालत जानका लागि ह्विलचेयरको प्रयोग गर्नु परेको थियो । न्यायाधीशले उनलाई “विवाद सुरू गरेको र समस्या उक्साएको” आरोपमा चार वर्ष जेल सजाय सुनाए । झाङ झानलाई सन् २०२१ मार्चमा शाङ्घाइको महिला कारागारमा सरुवा गरियो । अधिकारीहरूले उनको परिवारलाई भेट्न मनाही गरिरहेका छन् । झाङ झान भन्छिन् “हामीले जुनसुकै मूल्य चुकाउनु परे पनि सत्यको खोजी गर्नुपर्छ” । “सत्य सँधै नै संसारको सबैभन्दा मूल्यवान चीज रहेको छ । सत्य हाम्रो जीवन हो ।”
झाङ झानलाई तत्काल रिहा गर्न चीनलाई आह्वान गरौँ ।