China imprisons lawyer for reporting on virus

BEIJING — A Chinese court Monday sentenced a former lawyer who reported on the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak to four years in prison on charges of “picking f ights and provoking trouble,” one of her attorneys said.

The Pudong New Area People’s Court in the f inancial hub of Shanghai gave the sentence to Zhang Zhan following allegations that she spread false information, gave interviews to foreign media, disrupted public order and “maliciously manipulated” the outbreak.

Lawyer Zhang Keke confirmed the sentence but said it was “inconvenient” to provide details — usually an indication that the court has issued a partial gag order. He said the court did not ask Zhang whether she would appeal, nor did she indicate whether she would.

Zhang, 37, traveled to Wuhan in February and posted on various social media about the outbreak that is believed to have emerged in the central city late last year.

She was arrested in May amid tough nationwide measures aimed at curbing the outbreak and heavy censorship to def lect criticism of the government’s initial response. Zhang reportedly went on a prolonged hunger strike while in detention, prompting authorities to force- feed her, and is said to be in poor health.

China has been accused of covering up the initial outbreak and delaying the release of crucial information, enabling the coronavirus to spread and contributing to the pandemic that has infected more than 81 million people worldwide and killed almost 1.8 million. Beijing vehemently denies the accusations, saying it took swift action that bought time for the rest of the world to prepare.

In the early days of the outbreak, authorities reprimanded several Wuhan doctors for “rumor- mongering” after they alerted friends on social media.

The best known of the doctors, Li Wenliang, later succumbed to COVID- 19.