Two Years Since Zhang Zhan's Second Imprisonment: UN Records Arbitrary Detention Concerns, Amnesty International Warns of Life-Threatening Health Conditions

Two Years Since Zhang Zhan's Second Imprisonment: UN Records Arbitrary Detention Concerns, Amnesty International Warns of Life-Threatening Health Conditions

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan has been imprisoned for nearly two years. The Chinese government confirmed to the United Nations that she was sentenced to four years in prison again in September 2025; Amnesty International warned that her severe stomach disease, prolonged hunger strike, and significant weight loss may be life-threatening, and the specific detention area is still awaiting official confirmation.

Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist, has been imprisoned for nearly two years after her second arrest. The Chinese government's formal response to the UN Human Rights Mechanism confirmed that the Shanghai police took criminal coercive measures against her again on August 29, 2024, and on September 19, 2025, the Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court sentenced her to four years in prison again for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." Meanwhile, international human rights organizations have continuously warned that her physical condition has deteriorated due to long-term hunger strikes and severe stomach disease, and she may face life-threatening dangers.

China's Government Confirms Second Sentencing Timeline for the First Time

The Chinese government's response to the UN Human Rights Council's special procedures shows that Zhang Zhan was born in September

1. The Beijing authorities claimed that she was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2020 for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and was released in May 2024 after serving her sentence. The Chinese government also confirmed that on August 29, 2024, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau's Pudong Branch took criminal coercive measures against her again on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble"; on September 19, 2025, the Pudong New District People's Court sentenced her to four years in prison again.

The Chinese government stated in its response that Zhang Zhan constituted "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" because she "widely spread false information" on the internet and severely disrupted public order. This statement is the Chinese government's official stance on the case and does not equate to an independent judicial review of the relevant speech content and criminal responsibility.

UN Special Procedures Raise Concerns About Arbitrary Detention and Disappearance

On December 23, 2025, multiple special procedure mandate holders of the UN issued a joint allegation letter to the Chinese government regarding Zhang Zhan's case. The UN's public records show that the letter involves human rights defenders, arbitrary detention, disappearance, freedom of opinion and expression, and the independence of judges and lawyers, and particularly concerns Zhang Zhan's re-detention, additional sentencing to four years in prison, and the temporary inability to obtain information about her place of detention and health status.

This is not the first time the UN has expressed serious concerns about Zhang Zhan's treatment. In November 2021, the UN special procedures had previously approached the Chinese government regarding her rapidly deteriorating and potentially life-threatening health conditions during her first imprisonment. At that time, public materials recorded that she had been on a long-term hunger strike after being detained in 2020 and was reported to have been subjected to forced feeding through a nasal tube and other restraints.

Amnesty International: Severe Stomach Disease, Significant Weight Loss, Health May Be Life-Threatening

Amnesty International issued an urgent action on May 15, 2026, stating that Zhang Zhan's health condition has deteriorated to a seriously concerning level since her second sentencing in September

1. The organization stated that she suffers from severe stomach disease, significant weight loss, and extreme weakness; according to the information they have, Zhang Zhan has been on a hunger strike since January 2025 to protest her detention, and her current condition may be life-threatening.

Amnesty International also stated that the authorities have continuously refused to allow Zhang Zhan to access the lawyers of her choice, which hinders the outside world from independently understanding her physical condition and affects her ability to appeal her conviction. Reporters Without Borders also stated this year that Zhang Zhan's request to meet with her lawyers was rejected, and she is still on a partial hunger strike.

Regarding these specific allegations about health, hunger strike methods, and blocked lawyer meetings, Focus on China has not obtained a detailed response from the Shanghai prison administration or the court, so the relevant content is attributed to the reports of international human rights organizations.

New Clues Emerge About Detention Location, But Specific Detention Area Awaits Official Confirmation

On August 28, the Weiquanwang website cited a message from the "Zhang Zhan Concern Group" that Zhang Zhan is currently being held in the fifth detention area of the Shanghai Women's Prison. This message is consistent with previous statements that she was transferred to the Shanghai Women's Prison, but as of the publication of this article, Focus on China has not found any public documents from the Shanghai prison administration confirming her specific detention area, so the "fifth detention area" information should be viewed as coming from civilian channels and awaiting further verification from official or other independent sources.

Why Zhang Zhan Became a Representative Figure for China's News Freedom Case

Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, went to Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 to record the lockdown, hospitals, and the situation of ordinary people through writing and video. She was detained in May 2020 and sentenced to four years in prison in December 2020 for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." The UN's public intervention documents in 2021 recorded that the prosecution accused her of releasing "false information" about the Wuhan epidemic and "maliciously hyping up the Wuhan epidemic."

In May 2024, Zhang Zhan completed her first four-year sentence. Just over three months later, she lost her freedom again and was sentenced to four years in prison for the second time in September

1. Both rounds of criminal prosecution used the charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," making this case a typical example of how China uses broad public order charges to handle journalists, human rights defenders, and dissenting expressions.

Reporters Without Borders stated that during Zhang Zhan's second trial in September 2025, at least seven diplomats from different countries and activists who attempted to attend the trial were denied entry to the courtroom. The organization believes that Zhang Zhan's case has become a symbol of China's suppression of news freedom.

Human Rights Issues Remain Unanswered

The currently confirmed judicial facts are: Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years in prison for the second time by the Shanghai court, and the Chinese government has formally confirmed this sentence and the date of re-detention to the UN. However, whether she can freely meet with her self-chosen lawyers, whether she receives independent and adequate medical care, the true extent of her long-term hunger strike and severe stomach disease, and her specific detention area, all lack sufficient, transparent, and independently verifiable information.

For a detained journalist who has been subject to multiple urgent concerns from the UN and international human rights organizations due to health issues, transparently disclosing her detention location, allowing her family and independent lawyers to meet normally, and providing medical treatment that conforms to medical ethics not only relates to the basic rights of the individual case but also relates to whether the Chinese authorities can respond to external questions about arbitrary detention, news freedom, and judicial procedure guarantees.

Focus on China will continue to follow up on Zhang Zhan's detention location, health status, lawyer meetings, and subsequent judicial relief.