Prof Zhang Yongzhen has suffered setbacks, demotions and has been ostracised by Communist government

The Chinese scientist who defied Beijing to publish the first coronavirus sequence has staged a sit-in-protest outside his laboratory after authorities suddenly evicted him. Prof Zhang Yongzhen took to the steps outside the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center on Sunday, in a rare sign of public dissent in China.

It is the latest of a series of setbacks, demotions and attempts to ostracise Prof Zhang, who experts say has been “treated cruelly for years” for releasing the Sars-Cov-2 sequence without government permission in January 2020.

The move allowed health officials worldwide to test for the virus and kick-started the race to develop vaccines and drugs within weeks.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/30/prof-zhang-yongzhen-covid-sequence-wuhan-lab-china/