Chinese Government imprisoned a thirty-seven-year-old citizen journalist for causing a situation of strife in China. Her crime was that she let the world know about the coronavirus through social media, reportedly. As per the court, the Chinese journalist, Zhang Zhan has to serve four years in jail for causing conflict in China. She raised some serious questions against the government of China.
Chinese Journalist Zhang Zhan Gets Sentenced for Covid Reporting
China is a country that incorporates authoritarianism to control media. To put it straight, no media channel in China can publish any news without the government knowing about it. However, Zhang Zhan was the one who took advantage of social media to break the Covid 19 news. Her intentions to let the world know about the plague became toxic for her and resulted in her imprisonment. Although, she questioned the intentions of the government. She raised a point that why the govt of China didn’t want the public to know about the disastrous virus.
According to media reports, the government also tried to hide the Coronavirus news from the public during the start of its first wave. As per the imprisoned journalist’s assertions, the Chinese govt also censored social media in order to keep the truth about Coronavirus hidden. Zhang had posted a video in which she called the government’s acts intimidating and threatful.
Zhang Zhan’s Lawyer’s Statement About The Imprisoned
As per the Chinese journalist’s lawyer, she could not speak properly during her hearing. She had also lost a lot of weight. As per the lawyer, the government should not censor the speech of any person and promote freedom of expression and speech.
Government Response
As per the views of one of the government’s representatives, Zhang Zhan was causing distress in the country by spreading rumors and fake news. As a result, the authorities had to take action against the accused.
