Chinese authorities are preparing to release a man who disappeared after publicizing videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the COVID-19 outbreak, people familiar with his case say.
Chinese authorities were preparing Sunday to release a man who disappeared three years ago after publicizing videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the COVID-19 outbreak, a relative and another person familiar with his case said.
He was scheduled to be released Sunday, according to two people who did not want to be identified for fear of government retribution. One of them said Fang was sentenced to three years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a vague charge traditionally used against political dissidents.
Two offices of Wuhan’s public security bureau did not provide a phone number of their information office or answer any questions. Phone calls to a court that reportedly sentenced Fang rang unanswered on Sunday afternoon. A woman from another court that had reportedly handled Fang’s appeal said she was not authorized to answer questions.
At that time, a small number of citizen journalists tried to tell their stories and those of others with smart phones and social media accounts, defying the Communist Party’s tightly policed monopoly on information. Although their movement was small, the scale was unprecedented in any previous major disease outbreak or disaster in China.
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Chinese who reported on COVID to be released after 3 yearsChinese authorities are preparing to release a man who disappeared three years ago after publicizing videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the COVID-19 outbreak. That's according to his relative and another person familiar with his case. Fang Bin and other members of the public who were dubbed citizen journalists posted details of the pandemic in early 2020 on the internet and social media, embarrassing Chinese officials who faced criticism for failing to control the outbreak. According to the people who did not want to be identified for fear of government retribution, he is scheduled to be released Sunday. The Associated Press could not confirm the details with the authorities. The case is part of a crackdown on criticism of China’s early handling of the pandemic.
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