New Delhi (NVI): A Chinese citizen journalist has been jailed for four years for her livestream reporting from Wuhan in the initial stages of Covid-19 outbreak, foreign media reports said.
The citizen journalist, identified as Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, was sentenced for four years in prison after a hearing in a Shanghai court, according to reports. According to reports, the journalist has been sentenced for allegedly “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”
The Chinese authorities have punished eight virus whistleblowers so far as Beijing struggled to face criticism from across the world after the virus outbreak. Zhang Zhan also grabbed the attention of authorities as her reports and essays were widely shared on social media platforms in February.
Even as the world economy continues to witness lockdowns and surging caseloads since the start of the pandemic from Wuhan, China’s economy is on the rebound. The Chinese communist regime has been well known to control information.
According to reports, 37-year-old Zhang Zhan is also suffering from deteriorating health as she began a hunger strike in June. However, she has been force-fed via a nasal tube.
The trial also comes just weeks ahead of the visit of an international team of WHO experts which is expected to arrive in China to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 virus.
-ARK
