Open letter: Amnesty International Canada urges China to grant medical bail for imprisoned citizen journalist Zhang Zhan

Amnesty international Canada has been closely following the case of Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist in China, since her arrest in May 2020 following her reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic. We believe she is a prisoner of conscience imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression. Thousands of our supporters have called for her immediate and unconditional release.

Zhang Zhan has been on partial hunger strike to protest her incarceration. It is extremely alarming to learn that, due to her dire health condition, Zhang Zhan’s family do not expect her to live through the winter and have been calling the authorities to release her on medical grounds. Recently it is reported that she is feeling incredibly weak, has no energy to walk nor raise her head and, with yellowed skin, looks to be suffering from a life-threatening condition.

Read the full letter below