Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist who independently reported on the Wuhan epidemic, was sentenced to prison. French newspaper Le Monde published an editorial entitled “Transparency in the investigation of the source of Wuhan’s new crown is impossible!” on Dec. 29. ” in an editorial. The article begins: The Chinese government could not have been clearer in its message before the World health Organization will move to investigate the source of the new crown. The newspaper said that any threat to one-party dictatorship was nipped in the bud for the sake of national security.
Le Monde began by writing that after several difficult negotiations with the Beijing authorities, a team of a dozen experts would leave for China in early January 2021 to investigate the source of the new crown. This follows the December 28th re-sentencing of 37-year-old Zhang Zhan to four years in prison by a court in Shanghai’s Pudong district. The only crime she committed was documenting the lives of the first Wuhan residents to be sealed off from the city.
Zhang Zhan’s heavy sentence is a unified message from the Chinese authorities at all levels, says Le Monde. It is a warning that the investigation of whether the virus originated in China, especially in the sealed city of Wuhan, should not be transparent! The newspaper Le Monde writes that Zhang Zhan has been on an intermittent hunger strike since June of this year, is extremely weak and has been forced to eat through a nasogastric tube by the detention center.
Zhang Zhan’s lawsuit was hastily concluded and she was sentenced to four years in prison for “provocation and disorderly conduct”. Zhang is a Christian and a former lawyer, according to Le Monde. She traveled to Wuhan in February to report firsthand on the lives of people after the city was closed. The newspaper said that in two months, Zhang Zhan repeatedly posted information through online platforms such as WeChat, Twitter and the oil pipe; and gave interviews to overseas media.
The French media said the hospital shown in Zhang Zhan’s video was crowded with patients, a scene that conflicted with the instructions given by local authorities. Le Monde said Zhang Zhan’s tepid reporting was condemning the Communist Party’s use of threats and intimidation to maintain health order and control the epidemic of the new coronavirus.
Through these compelling videos and interviews, Zhang Zhan reveals the facts, Le Monde argues. The real reason for her resentencing was to “scare the monkeys”. The newspaper writes that Zhang’s reporting is too far removed from the tone of the Chinese government’s own recognition today. The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that it has “overcome unprecedented risk challenges” and that it has “created extraordinary glory in an extraordinary year.
In the view of Le Monde, the resentencing of Zhang Zhan is an urgent need to preserve national security. The newspaper concluded by saying that on July 1, 2021, China will celebrate the centenary of the party’s founding. Both in the past and in the present, whenever there is a threat to the one-party dictatorship, it is necessary to “strive to detect and deal with hidden dangers that may pose significant risks in the bud.”
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