China's Covid Whistleblower, Who Exposed Chinese Communist Party's Cover-Up, Freed From Jail After Three Years of Detention

Reports have emerged that Fang Bin, a Chinese citizen journalist who disappeared while reporting on the Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan in 2020, has been released after being detained for three years.

Fang was among several Chinese citizens targeted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for reporting on the pandemic, and he disappeared from Wuhan in February 2020 alongside fellow journalist Chen Qiushi.

Multiple media reports citing anonymous sources close to Fang's family in China have indicated that he was released on Sunday (30 April) and went to Beijing before returning to Wuhan on Monday, where he remains under strict supervision of the CCP authorities.

There were conflicting reports surrounding Fang's disappearance, and it was unclear whether he was detained, living with his parents under supervision, or under surveillance at a designated location. This form of secretive Chinese detention allows authorities to hold a person for up to six months without charge. Additionally, his family was reportedly fearing retribution and has been afraid to speak out about the case.

It is alleged that Fang was sentenced to three years in prison on the vague charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a charge commonly used against political dissidents.

Fang's detention was part of a larger effort by the CCP authorities during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in Wuhan to suppress news and control the narrative.

The restrictions on information flow, combined with China's reluctance to permit international experts to visit Wuhan, led to a delay in developing a strategy to manage the pandemic.