Hong Kong: Chinese authorities are reportedly preparing to release a man who disappeared three years ago after publicising videos of overcrowded hospitals and bodies during the COVID-19 outbreak, a relative and another person familiar with his case said.
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.
Fang Bin uploaded videos daily on YouTube, including one that went viral showing a pile of body bags in a funeral home van. Another showed body bags outside a Wuhan hospital and footage of relatives wailing, saying “Goodness, there are so many dead people.”
The last video the seller of traditional Chinese clothing, posted on Twitter was of a piece of paper reading, “All citizens resist, hand power back to the people”. A week later, he disappeared.
Fang’s case is part of Beijing’s crackdown on criticism of China’s early handling of the pandemic, as the ruling Communist Party seeks to control the narrative of the country.
He was scheduled to be released on 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.
The Associated Press could not independently confirm his...
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