Zhang Zhan is released from prison after 4 years for 'provoking trouble' while reporting on COVID
Zhang Zhan has been released from prison after serving four years for charges related to reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan
BANGKOK (AP) — Zhang Zhan was released from prison after serving four years for charges related to reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, according to a video statement she released Tuesday, eight days after her sentence ended.
Zhang was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vaguely defined charge often used in political cases, and served her full term. Yet, on the day of her release, her former lawyers could not reach her or her family. Shanghai police had paid visits to activists and her former lawyers in the days leading up to her release.
In a short video, Zhang said she was taken by police to her brother Zhang Ju's home on May 13, the day she finished her sentence.
“I want to thank everyone for their help and concern,” she said in a soft voice, standing in what appeared to be a hallway of an apartment building.
