onsdag 10. november 2021

The State Department is urging China to release Zhang Zhan, a jailed journalist who reported on the pandemic in Wuhan and who is reportedly close to death

The US State Department is urging the Chinese government to release jailed citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who is known for her reporting in Wuhan during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.  "We have repeatedly expressed our serious concerns about the arbitrary nature of her detention and her mistreatment during it," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, per The New York Times.

The State Department's call for China to release the journalist comes after it was reported that Zhang, 38, who went on a hunger strike while in detention, is close to death. Zhang's brother, Zhang Ju, released a statement last week saying his sister is on the verge of death and may perish in the coming months. In his tweet, Zhang Ju said his sister, who went on a hunger strike in detention, only weighs around 88 pounds now despite being 5 feet 8 inches tall.