Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan (張展), previously imprisoned for reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, was sentenced to another four years in prison on September 19 on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (尋釁滋事). The 42-year-old former lawyer, who completed a four-year sentence in May 2024 for her reporting from Wuhan during the pandemic, had been detained since August 2024 after supporting pro-democracy activist Zhang Pancheng (張盼成), who posted a video criticizing China’s human rights record. Zhang Zhan’s indictment accused her of “widely spreading insulting content about others and false information seriously damaging the country’s image on overseas social media, causing public disorder.” There has not been a peep about the case in China’s media — no surprise there. [Learn more about the “Picking Quarrels” charge in the CMP Dictionary.]
