UN Expert Panel Concerned By Life Risks For Chinese Reporter Jailed Over COVID Covering

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2021) A UN-appointed expert panel expressed on Monday concerns over the possibility of a fatal outcome of a hunger strike by Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan, imprisoned by the government since last year for reporting on their handing of COVID-19.

Since she was arrested and went on a hunger strike, the reporter faced such symptoms as "severe malnutrition, a gastric ulcer, advanced oedema of her lower limbs, and is unable to walk or raise her head without being assisted," according to the panel.

"Failure by the Chinese authorities to act swiftly and effectively could have fatal consequences for Zhang Zhan. We urge them to immediately grant her unconditional release and ensure she receives the necessary medical treatment as soon as possible," the experts were quoted as saying in a statement of the UN rights office.

Zhang covered the coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan in February of the last year, exposing the methods employed by the Chinese authorities to contain its spread, as well as the state of affairs in local hospitals.

She has been imprisoned since May 2020, serving a four-year sentence on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." In June, the journalist started to refuse to eat to protest her arrest, and a month later was admitted to a prison hospital for 11 days, where she was force-fed, the panel said.

The United States has also voiced concerns over Zhang's health and urged China to release her, while Beijing said it opposed any meddling in its internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.�