November 26, 2024 - Shanghai, China

Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the arrest of Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan, charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau with the approval of its with the approval of its Pudong Branch, Shanghai Pudong Procuratorate on November 18, 2024.

This comes just months after she completed a four-year prison sentence for her COVID-19 reporting. Zhang was detained again in August, and her lawyer was also held and intimidated by authorities soon after.

Women Press Freedom has closely followed Zhang’s case since her initial detention in 2020 and has consistently advocated for her release. Despite her brief freedom in May, Zhang remained under surveillance and was summoned by police in June with threats of re-imprisonment for crossing vague “red lines.” Her latest arrest is a grave violation of human rights and part of a broader campaign to silence journalists.

We demand Chinese authorities release Zhang Zhan immediately and end the persecution of journalists. We also call on the international community to take decisive action in holding China accountable for these abuses and to demand the protection of press freedom.