Zhang Zhan a Chinese “citizen journalist” who reported on the early days of the #coronavirus in #Wuhan has been given a four year prison sentence for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. #Chiba #covid
The trial only lasted a few hours and then a four year prison sentence handed out. The scene outside...
https://twitter.com/leoramirezafp/status/1343404779754512384
According to Zhang Zhan's lawyers she appeared devastated in court as the sentence was read out. Her mother reportedly also sobbed loudly. The 37-year old's health is said to have been in decline following a hunger strike while in detention.
“Picking quarrels and provoking trouble” is the crime which a lot of dissidents are imprisoned for in #China.
In fact #ZhangZhan has previously been detained for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". She's also been accused of "inciting subversion of state power" because of her online posts. In September 2019 she held an umbrella in #Shanghai in support of #HongKong protestors.
The umbrella #ZhangZhan held in 2019 featured the writing "End socialism, CCP step down". For this she was detained for 2 months &, during this time, went on a hunger strike twice. This time court documents said her "record of three previous similar wrongdoings" would be a factor
If you’re watching @BBCWorld TV inside #China this is what your screen looks like today when our coverage of #ZhangZhan appears. Reporting on her 4-year sentence is being censored because the government here doesn’t trust its citizens to be in possession of knowledge about it. 
So bizarre that a little gaggle of apologists decided to attack me for posting an image showing the @BBCWorld TV feed being cut today in #China each time we reported #ZhangZhan’s case as being a lie when every person in #China with access to the BBC can verify it being real.
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