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Those of us who participated in the very first Coronavirus News & Discussion thread back in January (when it was still on the other side of the world and the CCP/WHO still adamant that it wasn't contagious) surely remember all the harrowing cellphone footages posted from inside Wuhan, before those citizen reporters began disappearing one by one by the time we got to v3 of the thread. Hell, you may recall some even had police following them home from where they've been reporting, whom kicked down their doors and dragged them away right in the middle of their livestreaming.
No one knows what happens to them in the months afterwards, and no one dared to ask.
Half a year later, the "disappeared" are finally being sentenced by the Chinese government, for the same sort of "crimes" that Dr. Li Wenliang were forced to "confess" when he blew the whistle on their cover-up.
The choices are simple here: either admit that you're wrong for "picking fights and provoking trouble" by "spreading false information" (that have been recorded from the scene and uploaded for all to see) and you might get released by the generosity of the CCP, or be adamant that you did nothing wrong by telling the truth to the world and get tossed in prison for those same bogus charges anyway, strapped down to your bed with a tube shoved down your throat to force-feed you prison food if you try to hunger-strike.
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Beijing — A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a former lawyer who reported on the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak to four years in prison on charges of "picking fights and provoking trouble," one of her lawyers said. The Pudong New Area People's Court in the financial hub of Shanghai gave the sentence to Zhang Zhan following accusations she spread false information, gave interviews to foreign media, disrupted public order and "maliciously manipulated" the outbreak.
Lawyer Zhang Keke confirmed the sentence but said it was "inconvenient" to provide details - usually an indication that the court has issued a partial gag order. He said the court didn't ask Zhang whether she would appeal, nor did she indicate whether she would.
Zhang, 37, traveled to Wuhan in February and posted on various social media platforms about the outbreak that is believed to have emerged in the central Chinese city late last year.
She was arrested in May amid tough nationwide measures aimed at curbing the outbreak and heavy censorship to deflect criticism of the government's initial response. Zhang reportedly went on a prolonged hunger strike while in detention, prompting authorities to forcibly feed her, and is said to be in poor health.
Earlier this month, an attorney flor Zhang who wished to remain anonymous told CBS News Zhang was restrained 24 hours a day with a belt around her waist and both hands tied to prevent her from pulling out a feeding tube.
The lawyer, who visited her at least twice, said she was experiencing headaches, dizziness and stomach and mouth pain due to the insertion of the gastric tube for forced feeding, and that Zhang told him that, "every day is torture."
Zhang is among several citizen journalists whose work offered some of the only glimpses to the outside world of what was going on in Wuhan in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic — and who were subsequently detained by the Chinese government.
Citizen journalist Chen Qiushi went missing in February at about the same time as Li Zehua and Wuhan resident Fang Bin, both of whom also reported on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Li Zehua was released in April.
China has been accused of covering up the initial outbreak and delaying the release of crucial information, enabling the virus to spread and contributing to the pandemic that has sickened more than 80 million people worldwide and killed almost 1.8 million. Beijing vigorously denies the accusations, saying it took swift action that bought time for the rest of the world to prepare.
China's ruling Communist Party tightly controls the media and seeks to block dissemination of information it hasn't approved for release.
In the early days of the outbreak, authorities reprimanded several Wuhan doctors for "rumor-mongering" after they alerted friends on social media. The best known of the doctors, Li Wenliang, later succumbed to COVID-19.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/ch...itizen-journalist-zhang-zhan-sentenced-wuhan/
No one knows what happens to them in the months afterwards, and no one dared to ask.
Half a year later, the "disappeared" are finally being sentenced by the Chinese government, for the same sort of "crimes" that Dr. Li Wenliang were forced to "confess" when he blew the whistle on their cover-up.
The choices are simple here: either admit that you're wrong for "picking fights and provoking trouble" by "spreading false information" (that have been recorded from the scene and uploaded for all to see) and you might get released by the generosity of the CCP, or be adamant that you did nothing wrong by telling the truth to the world and get tossed in prison for those same bogus charges anyway, strapped down to your bed with a tube shoved down your throat to force-feed you prison food if you try to hunger-strike.
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Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan sentenced for reporting early on COVID in Wuhan
BY GRACE QI | DECEMBER 28, 2020
BY GRACE QI | DECEMBER 28, 2020
Beijing — A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a former lawyer who reported on the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak to four years in prison on charges of "picking fights and provoking trouble," one of her lawyers said. The Pudong New Area People's Court in the financial hub of Shanghai gave the sentence to Zhang Zhan following accusations she spread false information, gave interviews to foreign media, disrupted public order and "maliciously manipulated" the outbreak.
Lawyer Zhang Keke confirmed the sentence but said it was "inconvenient" to provide details - usually an indication that the court has issued a partial gag order. He said the court didn't ask Zhang whether she would appeal, nor did she indicate whether she would.
Zhang, 37, traveled to Wuhan in February and posted on various social media platforms about the outbreak that is believed to have emerged in the central Chinese city late last year.
She was arrested in May amid tough nationwide measures aimed at curbing the outbreak and heavy censorship to deflect criticism of the government's initial response. Zhang reportedly went on a prolonged hunger strike while in detention, prompting authorities to forcibly feed her, and is said to be in poor health.
Earlier this month, an attorney flor Zhang who wished to remain anonymous told CBS News Zhang was restrained 24 hours a day with a belt around her waist and both hands tied to prevent her from pulling out a feeding tube.
The lawyer, who visited her at least twice, said she was experiencing headaches, dizziness and stomach and mouth pain due to the insertion of the gastric tube for forced feeding, and that Zhang told him that, "every day is torture."
Zhang is among several citizen journalists whose work offered some of the only glimpses to the outside world of what was going on in Wuhan in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic — and who were subsequently detained by the Chinese government.
Citizen journalist Chen Qiushi went missing in February at about the same time as Li Zehua and Wuhan resident Fang Bin, both of whom also reported on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. Li Zehua was released in April.
China has been accused of covering up the initial outbreak and delaying the release of crucial information, enabling the virus to spread and contributing to the pandemic that has sickened more than 80 million people worldwide and killed almost 1.8 million. Beijing vigorously denies the accusations, saying it took swift action that bought time for the rest of the world to prepare.
China's ruling Communist Party tightly controls the media and seeks to block dissemination of information it hasn't approved for release.
In the early days of the outbreak, authorities reprimanded several Wuhan doctors for "rumor-mongering" after they alerted friends on social media. The best known of the doctors, Li Wenliang, later succumbed to COVID-19.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/ch...itizen-journalist-zhang-zhan-sentenced-wuhan/
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