China has imprisoned a journalist named Zhang Zhan for reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak.

A Chinese citizen journalist who reported on the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan could face five years in jail charged with spreading false information.

A Chinese citizen journalist who reported on the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan could face five years in jail charged with spreading false information.In May 2020, Zhang Zhan, a 37-year-old former lawyer, and an independent video journalist who posted reports from Wuhan on Twitter and YouTube since early Feb went missing one day after publishing a video condemning the government's countermeasures to contain the virus. Her reports included the detention of other independent journalists and the harassment of victim's families seeking answerability.

The Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau issued a notice on May 15, stating that Zhang had been arrested and detained on charges of spreading false information and held at the Pudong Xinqu Detention Center. She was formally arrested in Shanghai on June 19 and formally charged on Nov. 13.

The journalist is facing a sentence of up to five years in jail after being formally indicted on charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.