After a Chinese court sentenced citizen journalist Zhang Zhan to four years in jail, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Beijing for the “sham conviction” and called for her release. In a statement, Pompeo said that the United States “strongly condemns” China for the sham prosecution of Zhang. While responding to her prison sentence, Pompeo added that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has shown once again that it will do whatever it takes to silence those who question its official line.
Zhang was arrested in May for reporting on COVID-19 handling in the initial days of the outbreak and criticising the authorities for shortcomings. While last month she was charged with alleged dissemination of false information and on Monday she was handed a four-year jail term by Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court for “provoking trouble and picking quarrels”. Following her sentence, the top US official called on the Chinese government to release the 37-year-old citizen journalist “immediately and unconditionally.
