Zhang Zhan, who reported about the coronavirus from Wuhan during the lockdown, was sentenced to four years in jail on the charges of "picking quarrels and provoking troubles”.

Zhan, 37-year-old former lawyer, was arrested in May, and has been on hunger strike for several months.

Her mother burst out crying after learning about her four-year sentence.

“This is not sentencing. They are trying to let her die. Due to her physical conditions, we all know this well,” she said, according to local reports.