"When former lawyer Zhang Zhan posted hundreds of videos from Wuhan during the chaotic early months of the COVID-19 outbreak, she became one of China's most prominent citizen journalists. Jailed in 2020 for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" a charge Chinese authorities often use against journalists and activists she was sentenced recently to another four years for the same offense."
"Rights groups say Zhang's case is part of a broader regional trend. Detentions of journalists and media workers across the Asia-Pacific region climbed steadily from a total of 69 in 2010 to 229 in 2020 (the year of Zhang's first arrest amid the COVID pandemic), spiking to an all-time high of 334 in 2022 before tapering slightly to 300 last year, an analysis of RSF data shows."
"Press freedom groups rank China as the world's top jailer of journalists, with 112 journalists and media workers currently behind bars, alongside another eight in Hong Kong in the wake of Beijing's imposition of a national security law there in 2020. Myanmar emerged as another prominent jailer following its 2021 coup and civil war, with 51 journalists currently in detention."
Zhang Zhan posted hundreds of videos from Wuhan during the chaotic early COVID-19 outbreak and became a prominent citizen journalist. She was jailed in 2020 for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and was recently sentenced to another four years for the same offense. Detentions of journalists across the Asia-Pacific climbed from 69 in 2010 to 229 in 2020, peaked at 334 in 2022 and remained about 300 last year, according to RSF data. Leading countries driving the trend include China, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Myanmar. China currently holds 112 journalists behind bars, with eight more in Hong Kong, while Myanmar detains 51 following the 2021 coup. The trend coincides with reduced U.S. funding for independent media and increased export of Chinese surveillance techniques.
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