Zhang Zhan, 38, a former lawyer, travelled to Wuhan in February 2020 to report on the chaos at the pandemic's epicentre, questioning authorities' handling of the outbreak in her smartphone videos.
Zhang has been on a hunger strike and was force-fed through nasal tubes, her legal team, which did not have information on her current condition, told AFP earlier this year. Someone close to the citizen journalist, who declined to be named, told AFP the family had asked to meet Zhang more than three weeks ago at the Shanghai women's prison where she is being held but had not received a response.The Shanghai prison also offered no response when approached by AFP.Zhang now cannot walk or even raise her head without help, according to Reporters without Borders .
China has revelled in its success in keeping domestic infections down to a trickle of sporadic outbreaks.