China: Court must quash charges and immediately release journalist Zhang Zhan
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(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—September 17, 2025) After over a year in pre-trial detention, Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan is reportedly to face trial on Friday, September 19 at the Pudong New District Court in Shanghai.
On August 28, 2024, police arbitrarily arrested Zhang Zhan and later charged her with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” This charge is commonly used to target activists, and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk last year called on the government to revise it in line with international legal standards and release all activists detained under the charge.
“The Chinese government isn’t prosecuting Zhang Zhan—it’s persecuting her. She has been targeted solely for criticizing authorities, and systematically denied fair trial rights,” said Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director of CHRD. “Locking up journalists who write on crucial issues—such as human rights violations in China and Covid-19—underscores the global consequences of Beijing’s hostility towards free speech.”
For more information on the background of Zhang Zhan’s case and prior imprisonment, see CHRD’s website.
For more information, please contact:
Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, sophierichardson[at]nchrd.org, +1 917 721 7473
Angeli Datt, Research and Advocacy Coordinator, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, angelidatt[at]nchrd.org, +1 934 444 6155
Shane Yi, Researcher, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, shaneyi[at]nchrd.org