A Chinese researcher who illegally published information about the coronavirus in 2020 is no longer allowed to enter his laboratory. Officially there are safety reasons. Researcher Zhang Yongzhen, on the other hand, assumes that he is being pressured.
The scientist wrote that he and his team were unexpectedly told to leave the laboratory in Shanghai. In January 2020, he established basic virological data for the coronavirus, allowing health authorities worldwide to launch an investigation. This formed the basis for tests and vaccinations, for example. However, Zhang had not received permission from the authorities to publish the data.
Sit-in strike in the pouring rain
Since then he has been under pressure in China. He has recently been banned from entering his laboratory in Shanghai. He then protested the authorities’ decision with a sit-in in the pouring rain. “I will not leave, I will not give up, I will pursue science and truth,” he wrote in a message that was later deleted. After guards denied him entry, Zhang now sleeps in front of his laboratory.
The hospital where the virologist works presented the situation differently. The laboratory was being renovated and was closed for safety reasons. However, the team would have been given another laboratory so they could continue their work.
Recalled from post
On the one hand, Zhang received numerous awards for his work, but on the other hand, he was fired from a position at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, cooperation with former partners was prevented, which hampered his work.
Source: Krone
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