China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reporting
China detained citizen journalist Zhang Zhan for posting independent video reports from Wuhan during the early COVID-19 outbreak, later convicting her of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and, after her release, detaining her again years later.123
- Country
- China (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)
- Where
- CN
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Detention and violence
- Stage
- Eliminate (see the ladder)
- Ladder note
- China imprisoned a citizen journalist for four years over her Wuhan reporting, then opened a second case against her after release; United States detention incidents in the record ended in release the same day.
- Head of government at the time
- Xi Jinping
- Issue of the day
- Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome
- Ongoing. Zhang completed her original four-year sentence and was released in 2024, but the sources reviewed report a second case against her the following year.
- Era
- The 2020s
What happened
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, traveled to Wuhan in February 2020 and began posting independent video reports on Twitter and YouTube about the early coronavirus outbreak there, including interviews with affected residents and business owners. She went missing on May 14, 2020, and was confirmed arrested and detained the next day. Chinese authorities held her on the charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a broadly worded offense that press freedom groups say Chinese courts use against government critics generally. A court sentenced her to four years in prison in December 2020. Zhang staged repeated hunger strikes in detention and was released in May 2024 after completing her sentence, only for CPJ to report that Chinese authorities brought a second case against her the following year, keeping her under continued restriction.123
Ongoing; CPJ reported a second case against her in 2025 after her initial release.123
What reason was given
"picking quarrels and provoking trouble"1
What changed for reporting
Zhang's imprisonment and later re-detention removed one of the few independent voices who had reported directly from Wuhan during the outbreak's earliest weeks, before China's official narrative was established.123
Timeline
2020
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Xi Jinping | other | President of China |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Zhang Zhan | journalist | affected |
Sources
- Journalist Zhang Zhan arrested for covering COVID-19 in Wuhan
- China jails citizen-journalist for four years over Wuhan virus reporting
Claims cited
- The formal charge used against her.
picking quarrels and provoking trouble
Journalist Zhang Zhan arrested for covering COVID-19 in Wuhan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2020-05-18. Claim 546, checked 2026-09-22. - CPJ's assessment of the motive behind her arrest.
China professes pride in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but appears deathly afraid of allowing independent journalists like Zhang Zhan to freely tell the story of what is happening,
Journalist Zhang Zhan arrested for covering COVID-19 in Wuhan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2020-05-18. Claim 657, checked 2026-09-22. - The potential sentence reported at the time of arrest.
If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison
Journalist Zhang Zhan arrested for covering COVID-19 in Wuhan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2020-05-18. Claim 658, checked 2026-09-22.