The European Union and the United States have demanded that China release a citizen journalist arrested for her reporting on the early outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan.
A Chinese court issued a four-year prison sentence on Monday for Zhang Zhan, who reported the height of the crisis in the city where the coronavirus emerged. His lawyer said Zhang was arrested on the grounds of “fighting and causing problems”.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that he strongly condemns Zhang’s condemnation and calls for his immediate and unconditional release, accusing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of restricting and manipulating information about the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan.
“His hasty judgment, which has been denied access to foreign observers, shows how fearful the CCP is towards Chinese citizens who speak the truth,” said Pompeo, adding that the United States would always support the right of Chinese citizens to express themselves freely .
Relations between the U.S. and China have plummeted to the worst level in decades, as the world’s top two economies dispute issues ranging from the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing’s national security law to Hong Kong, trade and espionage.
The EU also called for the immediate release of Zhang, as well as the freedom of imprisoned human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and several other detained and convicted human rights defenders and individuals who were involved in public interest complaints.
“According to reliable sources, Ms. Zhang was subjected to torture and ill-treatment during her detention and her health condition has seriously deteriorated,” an EU external relations spokesman said in a statement.
In a statement, the EU called for the group’s immediate release and its quick return to Hong Kong from Shenzhen, where they went on trial on 28 December in a closed court with no appointed lawyers of their choice.
EU criticism of the cases comes a day before EU and China leaders reach an agreement to give European companies better access to the Chinese market.
Zhang was among a handful of people whose first-hand accounts of crowded hospitals and empty streets painted a more dire picture of the center of the pandemic than the official narrative.
Critics say China has deliberately arranged for the Zhang trial to take place during the western holiday season, to minimize scrutiny.
“Restrictions on freedom of expression, access to information and the intimidation and surveillance of journalists, as well as the arrests, trials and convictions of human rights defenders, lawyers and intellectuals in China, are growing and remain a source of great concern” , Said the EU spokesman.