China expands its assault on press freedom as Zhang Zhan faces trial

Beijing [China], September 21 (ANI): Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, once jailed for her frontline reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, appeared in court again in Shanghai on September 19.

Her trial, closely monitored worldwide, highlighted the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing assault on free expression, as reported by The Epoch Times.

According to The Epoch Times, the hearing at the Pudong New Area People’s Court was held under tight security. Authorities deployed police to cordon off the area, preventing ordinary citizens from entering or showing support.

Foreign diplomats from several Western nations were also barred, with officials citing “incomplete paperwork” as justification. Rights groups described the restrictions as yet another sign of Beijing’s disregard for openness and judicial fairness.

Zhang is charged under the offence of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a broad and ambiguous law the CCP often invokes against political critics and journalists. International observers view her prosecution as a direct test of China’s treatment of dissenters.

The International Service for Human Rights confirmed that diplomats were turned away, while Chinese authorities would not even confirm whether the hearing was in session, as cited by The Epoch Times.

Concerns about Zhang’s deteriorating health have fuelled demands for her release. She has staged multiple hunger strikes to protest her detention, leaving her in a fragile condition.

The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) called for her immediate freedom on September 17.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) emphasised that Zhang has been kept in near-complete isolation for a year, with officials withholding details of her treatment to avoid international backlash.

Despite the risks, Zhang’s supporters attempted to rally around her. Many were intercepted by local police before travelling, while others who reached Shanghai were detained. Activist Shen Yanqiu was arrested on the trial’s morning and freed only hours later.

Meanwhile, lawyer Peng Yonghe, who volunteered to testify in her defence, was placed under police control. In a pre-recorded statement, he praised Zhang as “a true patriot” committed to constitutional rights and democracy. Zhang’s courageous reporting during the pandemic has earned her prestigious honours, including awards from RSF, ChinaAid, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Her trial, however, underscores how far Beijing is willing to go to silence independent voices, as highlighted by The Epoch Times. (ANI)

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