The European Union (EU) on Tuesday demanded the release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan from China, which comes ahead of Brussels signing a major investment pact with Beijing. The deal between the two biggest economic blocs- China and EU, is dependent on the former’s treatment of jailed reporters, lawyers and human rights champions, AFP reported.

It was only in Monday that the European Union showed a green light for the signing of an investment pact that would give Beijing an upper hand over the United States. However, according to a popular opinion at Brussels, their concerns about China’s labour and civil rights still stand.

The EU demand on Tuesday asked Xi Jinping’s government to release Zhang Zhan at the earliest. Zhang, a citizen journalist reported from Wuhan in February, questioning the lockdown of the city, access to virus testing and hospital capacity. Her videos also captured the aggression of Chinese authorities when confronted by a woman filming on her smartphone.

“Her reports provided rare, unvarnished glimpses from the virus epicentre during the first months of the outbreak, in a country where sharing information unsanctioned by authorities is a perilous pursuit,” an AFP report said.

She was sentenced on Monday for four years over “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” during her coverage of the early stages of the outbreak in Wuhan, her lawyer said.

“Prior to her detention, Ms Zhang Zhan had been reporting about the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan,” EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement.

“According to credible sources, Ms Zhang has been subject to torture and ill-treatment during her detention and her health condition has seriously deteriorated. It is crucial that she receives adequate medical assistance.”

Along with Zhang, Yu Wensheng, a human rights lawyer, jailed on December 13 also gets a priority on Brussels’ list.

“The European Union calls for the immediate release of Ms Zhang Zhan, of Mr Yu Wensheng and of other detained and convicted human rights defenders,” the statement said.

The statement listed Li Yuhan, Huang Qi, Ge Jueping, Qin Yongmin, Gao Zhisheng, Ilham Tohti, Tashi Wangchuk, Wu Gan, Liu Feiyue “as well as all those who have engaged in reporting activities in the public interest.

Brussels’ concern for the fate of Chinese rights activists and independent journalists comes despite the EU’s push to sign a major investment pact with China this week.

Some MEPs have expressed concern that the deal, seven years in the negotiation, sends the wrong signal on human rights, but on Monday the 27 member states gave the European Commission the go ahead to sign.