Reporters Without Borders, an international non-governmental organization focusing on media freedom issues, announced on the 18th the winners of the 2021 Press Freedom Award, which this year is awarded to citizens who were imprisoned and sentenced by the Chinese government for reporting on China's new crown epidemic. Reporter Zhang Zhan obtained. Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders, said: "The Courage Award winner who defied censorship and reminded the world of the realities of the outbreak has been jailed and her current health is very worrying. " Zhang Zhan has been detained by the Chinese government since he was arrested by the police in Shanghai in May last year. She was sentenced to four years in prison by a Chinese court in December for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". However, Zhang Zhan began a hunger strike in prison shortly after her arrest.
And because she continued to refuse to eat, her lawyer told DW that the authorities had forced her to eat by intubation. In August of this year, it was reported that Zhang Zhan was severely malnourished due to a long-term semi-hunger, and her weight dropped to less than 40 kilograms. Her brother Zhang Ju started tweeting at the end of last month to share his concerns about Zhang Zhan's situation, saying that Zhang Zhan was stubborn and he was worried that she would number list not be able to live long. "In the coming cold winter, if she doesn't stick to the past, I hope the world will remember her as she was," he wrote. Zhang Keke, Zhang Zhan’s attorney, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle that Zhang Zhan’s mother submitted written medical parole documents to Shanghai Women’s Prison again on the 15th. Sources said that, according to the prison, the document itself was due to epidemic prevention factors. It takes 48 hours for "disinfection time" to be accepted. Based on this inference, the prison should have received relevant information on the morning of the 17th.
But no further information has been received from all walks of life. Zhang Keke said: "Zhang Zhan's mother took the initiative to contact the Shanghai Women's Prison by phone, and again verbally offered medical parole. At that time, the prison asked if you could write a written document, and her mother said yes. After she expressed her hope that the document could be submitted as soon as possible. Later, the prison said that they would not go to work on weekends, so Zhang Zhan’s mother was asked to go to the prison on the 15th to submit the documents.” The last time Zhang Zhan’s mother saw Zhang Zhan through the film was on October 29. At that time, Zhang Zhan was even weaker than before. He needed someone to help him when he walked, and his neck was unable to support his head. Her brother Zhang Ju wrote in an application to the prison for medical parole: "She is skinny and bloodless on her face and forehead, and her life is hanging by a thread. Zhang Zhan's current physical condition is unable to walk alone, and she is being supported by others. With support, I could barely walk a distance of 20 to 30 meters. When my mother heard the bad news, she was so saddened that she even knelt down on her knees to the prison staff, hoping that they would give Zhang Zhan humane care.”