UN and rights groups condemn reported jailing of Wuhan Covid citizen journalist

Zhang Zhan sentenced to four years for second time on charge often used by China to target government critics

The UN, human rights groups and media freedom watchdogs have condemned reports that Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist, was sentenced to jail for the second time last week.

Zhang, 42, is thought to have stood trial in Shanghai on Friday on a charge of picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a charge often used in China to target critics of the government. Western diplomats were reportedly turned away from observing the trial.