Update: CCP authorities transfer Zhang Zhan to Shanghai Women’s Prison; deny family's request to visit

Zhang Zhan, a former practicing lawyer, journalist, and human rights activist, now imprisoned. 

(Shanghai*—April 05, 2021) An update from March 19 reveals that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities transferred Chinese citizen journalist, a former practicing lawyer, Zhang Zhan to the Shanghai women’s prison. Recently, when Ms. Zhang's mother traveled to the prison and requested a scheduled visit with her daughter, officials denied this request. They directed her to phone the number [nonworking] they provided.

As Ms. Zhang, serving a four-year sentence, has continued her hunger strike to protest the CCP's persecution and human rights abuses, the detention center threatened to use a thicker stomach and nasal tube in force-feeding her. Consequently, she expressed her willingness to take in “a small amount of food” to avoid more complications from the intubation. "Eating after a long hunger strike will cause stomach pain; if the hunger strike continues," Ms. Zhang said. Her mother and other family members report they are concerned about Ms. Zang's health as well as her condition.

According to information a Zhang Zhan Concern Group released on February 3, when a police officer permitted Ms. Zhang's mother to use his phone to video chat with Ms. Zhang, their conversation lasted approximately 20 minutes [interrupted several times]. When her mother urged Ms. Zhang to resume regular eating, she responded “Sorry....”

Prior to her imprisonment, Ms. Zhang (born September 2, 1983), a native of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province and resident of Pudong New Area, Shanghai, worked as a senior executive of a security company in Shanghai. She had traveled to Wuhan to report on the COVID-19 epidemic. During her time there, she filmed more than a hundred short videos. In one of her videos, Ms. Zhang states, “If a person chooses to remain in sadness rather than doing something about it, then that emotion is cheap.” Shanghai police cross-provincially arrested Ms. Zhang on May 14, 2020.

The following timeline highlights Zhang Zhan’s case:

• In 2019, Ms. Zhang began to repost information (videos and images) on social media platforms such as WeChat regarding the Hong Kong protests.

• On September 9, 2019, Shanghai Huangpu District Police officers detained Ms. Zhang  on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles.” During this time, authorities subjected her to mandatory “psychiatric evaluation” twice.

• On November 26, authorities released Ms. Zhang 

• In early 2020, due to the spread of COVID-19 in Wuhan, Ms. Zhang traveled there to conduct a field investigation, and report on the situation.

• On May 14, CCP authorities arrested Ms. Zhang. At this time, she started her hunger strike.

• On May 16, Shanghai Huangpu District Police officials criminally detained Mrs. Zhang by on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles.”

• On June 19, the Pudong New Area People’s procuratorate approved Ms. Zhang’s case.

•  At the end of June, Ms. Zhang began an uninterrupted food and water hunger strike.

• At the beginning of July, prison officials began to force-feed water and food to Ms. Zhan.

• At the beginning of September, news about Ms. Zhang’s hunger strike and ensuing force-feeding began to reach the outside world.

• On September 18, authorities transferred Ms. Zhang’s case to the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court.

• At the end of October, Ms. Zhang's lawyer intervened and revealed that she had been on a hunger strike for five months to protest being forced to plead guilty.

• In November, the prosecution recommended that the court sentence Ms. Zhang to five years in prison. With the revelation of the indictment letter, Ms. Zhang’s case began to gain international attention.

• After Ms. Zhang's meeting with her lawyer at the end of November, the public learned of her hunger strike and about correctional officers force-feeding her. 

• After Lawyer Ren Quanniu met with Ms. Zhang in December, he revealed that she looked nothing like her old self. She told Lawyer Ren, “Every day was tormentful,"

• On December 28, the court sentenced Ms. Zhang to four years in prison (until May 13, 2024) for “picking quarrels and provoking troubles."

• On January 13, 2021, when Lawyer Zhang Keke last met with Ms. Zhang, she had gone from a full to a semi-hunger strike.

~ Gao Zhensai, ChinaAid Special Correspondent

*bordered by Jiangsu Province to the north and west and Zhejiang Province to the southwest
** information regarding writing letters to Chinese prisoners