Zhang Zhan insisted on hunger strike to the edge of life and death

Last year, during the epidemic in Wuhan, the Chinese authorities blocked all channels of information, but many citizen journalists went to Wuhan to disclose the reality of the city during the lockdown. Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist, has been on a hunger strike since his arrest in May last year. In the latest disclosure of her condition, her family feared she would not survive the winter and appealed to the authorities to release her for medical treatment.

“In the coming cold winter, if she doesn’t hold on to the past, I hope the world remembers her as she was.” Zhang’s elder brother Zhang Ju, who has kept a low profile in the past to save his sister, broke his silence on Saturday by Posting a series of posts on Twitter in Both Chinese and English, revealing the latest situation of Zhang Zhan.

Zhang Ju said Zhang Zhan, who is 177cm tall and weighs less than 40kg, was described as “terminally ill and out of shape”. He even said outright, “I don’t think she’s going to live much longer.” The post was accompanied by a photo of Zhang in 2007, a rotund face in a pink jacket smiling at the camera, exactly what his brother, Zhang Ju, said his sister “looked like before.” However, in response to our query, Zhang Ju described Zhang Zhan’s condition as bad and “almost dead”, in stark contrast to the girl in the photo.

The post was accompanied by a photo of Zhang in 2007, wearing a pink jacket and smiling slightly at the camera. It was exactly what his brother, Zhang Ju, said his sister “looked like before.” However, in response to our query, Zhang Ju described Zhang Zhan’s condition as bad and “almost dead”, in stark contrast to the girl in the photo. Right: Zhang zhan’s mother had a video call with her son last Thursday (October 28) and noticed that Zhang’s condition was worse than before. “If you need help to walk, you can barely lift your head when you talk,” she wrote in a wechat message. I was out for hours, blurry, in a bad mood, with a bad headache. (Screenshot of Zhang Zhan’s mother’s wechat conversation)

“If Zhang Zhan was arrested, sentenced to four years in prison and about to die of hunger because she recorded and commented on several real events related to the Wuhan epidemic in 2020, would so many people crying out for help about the Ruili epidemic in Yunnan also be arrested?” Asked Zhang Ju on Twitter.