Chinese citizen journalist is freed from prison after 4 years for reporting on Covid-19
NBCMay 28
Chinese Journalist who Filmed COVID Lockdown Released from Jail
Image copyright: Anthony Kwan/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that Zhang Zhan, a Chinese blogger jailed for four years after documenting Wuhan's COVID lockdown, has been released. Her videos were viewed widely on social media.
While Zhang was reportedly released last week, concerns grew after her lawyers could not reach her. This changed after a video she posted on Tuesday confirmed her release, with her former lawyer verifying the authenticity of the message.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Zhang exemplifies the sort of bravery that authoritarian regimes fear the most. Her documentation of the reality of the COVID lockdown in the face of government censure was viewed by millions inside and outside of China, with her efforts flying in the face of PRC propaganda. It is incumbent upon the PRC to restore her rights and end their prosecution of journalists.
Pro-China narrative
Hypocrisy is the only weapon that the West has in its arsenal against China. The PRC has every right to enforce its laws without meddling from foreign actors, even if the accused just so happen to be journalists. Perhaps we should examine how the US government has viciously censored pro-Palestinian speech on their college campuses, which renders all talk of human rights hollow.