UN rights office demands “immediate release” of Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan after fresh sentence
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
The United Nations Human Rights Office is sounding the alarm over the latest sentencing of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan. She gained attention for her on-the-ground reporting from Wuhan during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Now, a court has added four more years to her prison term, charging her with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”—a vague offense that the UN calls poorly defined and overly broad.
UN spokesperson Jeremy Laurence slammed the conviction as deeply troubling. “We demand her immediate and unconditional release,” he said. Details of the new charges remain under wraps, but the UN believes they stem from Zhang’s social media posts. What’s more, no independent observers could attend the trial, sparking serious questions about its fairness.
This marks the second time Zhang faces jail time for this same charge. Laurence pointed out that the UN has repeatedly flagged similar cases in China, where journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders end up behind bars for what looks like exercising their basic rights—freedoms protected under international law.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has been vocal about China’s use of the “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” law. He warns that its loose wording lets authorities target anyone speaking out on freedom of expression or association. Turk urges China to scrap the law entirely and halt its enforcement right away.
Zhang first drew a prison sentence back in 2020 for her Wuhan COVID-19 coverage, highlighting the risks journalists face in reporting on critical events. The UN’s push underscores growing global worries about press freedom in China.
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