Zhang Zhan Resumes Hunger Strike; Human Rights Organizations Condemn Forced Feeding in Detention Center as Illegal

In 2020, Zhang Zhan traveled to Wuhan hospitals to document the true conditions of the pandemic. She was arrested by the Chinese government and sentenced to four years in prison. (Video serves as image)

[People News] Renowned Chinese citizen journalist and human rights activist Zhang Zhan has been detained by Shanghai police for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" for five months. Due to the authorities’ continued suppression of information regarding the investigation and trial, Zhang’s current condition has drawn significant attention. According to a recent update from the Rights Protection Network on Saturday, Zhang Zhan is once again on a hunger strike in prison but has been subjected to forced feeding by the detention center.

Radio Free Asia previously reported that after Zhang Zhan was released from prison in May last year, she spoke out multiple times on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube in support of Zhang Pan-cheng, a Christian youth from Gansu. In late August, Zhang Zhan traveled from Shanghai to Gansu, where she convinced Zhang Pan-cheng’s mother to sign a lawyer authorization form. However, this led to her re-arrest by police. On November 18, Zhang Zhan was formally arrested by the Shanghai Procuratorate on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." She is currently detained at the Pudong New District Detention Center.

According to Radio Free Asia, publicly available records show that Zhang Zhan previously worked at a securities firm in Shanghai and was a practicing lawyer. During the COVID-19 outbreak, Zhang Zhan traveled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the pandemic, as a citizen journalist. She documented the lockdown measures and the struggles of local residents, sharing her reports online. On May 14, 2020, Wuhan police arrested Zhang Zhan at a temporary residence. The next day, Pudong New District police in Shanghai detained her on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." On June 19, Zhang was formally arrested by the Pudong New District Procuratorate and, on December 28, sentenced to four years in prison by the court.

While in prison, Zhang Zhan previously staged hunger strikes to protest unfair treatment, including denial of family visits, leading to a steady deterioration in her health. Wang Jianhong, a spokesperson for the overseas "Zhang Zhan Concern Group," told Radio Free Asia that Zhang’s weight had dropped to half of what it was before her arrest, and her health remained precarious even after her release.

The Rights Protection Network noted that the process of forced feeding in detention, coupled with the denial of adequate medical care for Zhang Zhan, constitutes cruel and inhumane treatment in violation of the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture. China, having ratified the convention, is obligated to adhere to its provisions.