A whistleblower who disappeared three years ago after publicizing videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in China has been released from jail and returned to his Wuhan home, sources tell the BBC. The report has not been independently verified. 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, the AP reports. The last video Fang, a seller of traditional Chinese clothing, posted on Twitter was of a piece of paper reading, “All citizens resist, hand power back to the people.”
Fang's case was part of Beijing’s crackdown on criticism of China’s early handling of the pandemic, as the ruling Communist Party sought to control the narrative of the country. A source says Fang was sentenced at a secret trial to three years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a vague charge traditionally used against political dissidents. Another citizen journalist, Chen Qiushi, also disappeared in February 2020. Chen in September 2021 resurfaced on his friend's live video feed on YouTube, saying he had suffered from depression. But he did not provide details about his disappearance. Another citizen journalist, Zhang Zhan, who also had reported on the early stage of the outbreak, was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of picking fights and provoking trouble in December 2020. (More COVID-19 stories.)
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