[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 6, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E11-E12]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WUHAN VIRUS CHRONICLER JAILED

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 2021

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, The Wall Street Journal 
on Tuesday, December 29, Chun Han Wong reported that Wuhan Chronicler 
Zhang Zhan was convicted of ``picking quarrels and provoking trouble 
with her posts'' jailing her for four years.

       ``A Chinese court imposed a four-year prison term on a 
     citizen journalist who documented how Covid-19 ravaged the 
     city where the coronavirus was first detected . . .
       ``Zhang Zhan, 37 years old, was convicted of ``picking 
     quarrels and provoking trouble'' after a roughly 2\1/2\-hour 
     trial . . . where prosecutors accused her of spreading 
     falsehoods about the pandemic through social-media posts . . 
     .
       ``Her detention dovetails with Chinese leader Xi Jinping's 
     campaign to recast the

[[Page E12]]

     coronavirus pandemic . . . featuring extensive propaganda and 
     censorship efforts aimed at mollifying public anger and 
     suppressing criticism against missteps in the government's 
     initial response.
       ``In Monday's trial, Ms. Zhang said she regarded the 
     proceeding, against her as illegitimate . . .''

  I especially regret the Communist Party repression of the Chinese 
people because my father, First Lieutenant Hugh Wilson, served in China 
during World War II in the Flying Tigers where I grew up with his 
affection for the Chinese people and their extraordinary culture.
  In conclusion, God Bless our Troops and we will never forget 
September 11th in the Global War on Terrorism.

                          ____________________