(Shanghai – September 25, 2025) Chinese citizen journalist and human rights advocate Zhang Zhan has once again been sentenced to prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by a Chinese court, only a year after completing a four-year term for reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak. On September 19, the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court found Zhang Zhan guilty in court and sentenced her to a four-year sentence. The trial lasted four hours. Zhang Zhan was escorted into the courtroom with assistance because she was frail and remained silent throughout, with her lawyer conducting her entire defense. Despite her lawyer’s plea of innocence, the outcome was unsurprising; authorities once again chose “stability maintenance” over “justice.”
It remains uncertain whether Zhang Zhan will appeal. Her lawyer and family must assess the conditions of her health and the legal and political risks of a second trial.
A History of Punishment for Speaking Out
This is not the first time Zhang Zhan has faced harsh punishment under China’s judicial system. In 2020, during the Wuhan lockdown, she conducted field reporting on the phenomenon of chaos during the initial phase of the pandemic, overwhelmed hospitals, and local government cover-ups. Authorities accused her of “inciting panic,” leading to her detention and a four-year sentence. Over the past several years, her case has become one of the most emblematic cases of China’s suppression of free expression.
Continued Activism After Release
After her release in May 2024, she did not choose to remain silent; rather, she continued to speak out on social media in support of marginalized rights defenders. In August 2024, she traveled alone to Gansu to assist the family of Zhang Pansheng with legal authorization procedures and was subsequently secretly detained. During detainment, she reportedly went on another hunger strike, was force-fed, and was subjected to psychiatric evaluations; such tactics are often used in the cases of political dissidents and are criticized in China as “using medicine for political purposes.”
The Broader Pattern of Repression
This series of events revealed the Chinese authorities’ zero-tolerance stance toward dissent. Despite the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” being vague in legal definition, it is a tool frequently wielded against independent journalists, rights lawyers, and dissidents. When it comes to political cases, China’s legal system provides little room for genuine defense; rights to counsel, procedural justice, and transparency are routinely undermined in politically sensitive cases.
The Broader Pattern of Repression
“Zhang Zhan’s reconviction sends a clear signal: in China, insisting on speaking out means bearing a heavy price,” said one unnamed Chinese legal scholar. “She poses no threat to national security. She only spoke the truth.”
Silence at Home, Outrage Abroad
The international community continues to follow Zhang’s case. Human rights groups condemned Beijing for again using vague legal charges to silence dissent. Some members of the European Parliament have even called for targeted sanctions against Chinese officials involved.
Inside China, however, Zhang’s case receives little to no coverage from official media. Her name and related content are censored on social media platforms. To the majority of Chinese netizens, she is practically someone “who has been erased.”
Zhang Zhan: From Law to Resistance
Born in 1983 in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, Zhang Zhan once worked as a high-up at a Shanghai securities firm before switching careers to law. She became a licensed attorney and, from 2019 onward, dedicated herself to citizen advocacy and independent reporting, frequently speaking out on sensitive issues. In many ways, her story embodies the rare voices willing to pierce through the darkness of China’s “era of suppression.”
A Legacy That Cannot Be Erased
“She is frail but extraordinarily resolute,” said a fellow citizen journalist who once worked with her. “She knows exactly what she is facing, yet she refuses to turn back.” With this latest sentence finalized, Zhang Zhan may spend several more years behind bars. Yet in a society tightly controlled by censorship, the trace she leaves behind may prove harder to erase than her personal freedom.
Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai for ChinaAid