Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan, who exposed Covid-19, gets 4 more years in prison

A Chinese journalist, Zhang Zhan, who first exposed to the world the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, has received 4 more years of imprisonment.

Let’s refresh our memories and learn everything about a 42-year-old Chinese journalist who exposed the covid-19 virus in Wuhan province of China.

Who Zhang Zhan is?

Zhang was the first journalist who risked her life to inform the world about the ground reality of Wuhan, which was at the epicenter of the covid-19 pandemic.

Now, after completing four-year imprisonment for her reporting on the outbreak, the citizen journalist, Zhang Zhan, has again been sentenced to another four years of imprisonment.

Last Friday, on September 19, 2025, a Chinese court in the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court handed her over for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

Here’s every detail about Zhang Zhan.

Zhang Zhan, 42, is a citizen journalist who has previously been a lawyer by profession and hails from Shannxi province; she later transitioned to citizen journalism to bring to light the ground realities of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan province.

Zhang has now been considered one of China’s most critical voices in citizen journalism.

Back in 2019, Zhang was held captive by the authorities for demonstrating a protest in Shanghai, allegedly supporting Hong Kong.

Zhang at that time wrote opinion pieces, commented on posts, and even displayed placards that supported the pro-democracy movement. That was Zhang’s only crime for which she was detained.

Zhang, during her detention, even staged a hunger strike in protest of her illegal imprisonment, and she even had to be hospitalized at one point in 2021.

What did Zhang Zhan do?

In February 2020, Zhang travelled to Wuhan to report the ground realities of the covid-19 outbreak there. 

She had only one goal in mind: to get an inside picture of what was happening on the Wuhan streets and in hospitals.

Despite threats by the authorities, she reported through livestreaming and writing pieces.

Her videos of the time show an unfiltered glimpse into the initial days of China’s strict zero-Covid policy.

Just after three months, Zhang was arrested in May 2020 and later sentenced to four years of imprisonment.

Zhang staged hunger strikes that deteriorated her health further. According to court documents seen by Reuters, police restrained her hands and force-fed her through a tube, Zhang's lawyers revealed at the time.

Zhang's struggle paid off in 2021, when she received the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Award.

She was released in May 2024, but a few months later, in August 2024, she was detained again, and her formal arrest was announced in November.

She was charged with social media posts on X and YouTube that they deemed “seriously damaged the country’s image.”

Press freedom groups are arguing that Zhang deserves recognition, not punishment.

“She should be celebrated globally as an “information hero,’ not trapped in brutal prison conditions,” said Aleksandra Bielakowska, RSF’s Asia-Pacific advocacy manager.

Human rights activists are demanding the release of Zhang Zhan and an end to her persecution.