TAIPEI, May 14, 2025 — On the fifth anniversary of Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan’s initial arrest, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam (LIV) has joined more than 60 international civil society organizations in a joint statement condemning the Chinese government’s continued arbitrary detention of the prominent journalist and human rights defender.
Zhang Zhan was first detained in May 2020 for reporting independently from Wuhan at the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak. After completing a four-year sentence under the vague charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” she was re-arrested in August 2024 and now faces further prosecution on the same charge. She remains in detention at Pudong Detention Center in Shanghai and faces up to five more years in prison.
Despite severe health consequences from multiple hunger strikes and strong international condemnation, Chinese authorities continue to suppress her voice—and the voices of countless others. The joint statement calls for her immediate release and urges the international community to hold China accountable for its crackdown on press freedom.
Legal Initiatives for Vietnam stands in solidarity with Zhang Zhan and all those imprisoned for exercising their right to report the truth.
