China sentences filmmaker to over three years imprisonment for Covid-19 protest documentary
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A Chinese filmmaker has been sentenced by authorities to more than three and a half years in prison for producing a documentary about the country’s Covid-19 lockdown protests., according to reports. Chen Pinlin was initially charged in early 2024 for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” over the release of his documentary, Not the Foreign Force.
Mr Pinlin was handed down the sentence by a Shanghai court on Monday after a three-hour trial, according to sources speaking to CNN. The filmmaker and director initially released the film to mark the first anniversary of the “White Paper” movement after thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the Chinese government in 2022.
The mass demonstrations were triggered by an apartment fire in which 10 people perished after reportedly being prevented from leaving the premises due to Covid-19 controls. At the time, the country had faced several years of nationwide lockdowns, mass testing, quarantine and strict zero-Covid policy measures.
Protestors, including Mr Pinlin, took to the streets in response, carrying with them a piece of blank white paper to symbolise China’s systematic censorship. In a bold act of defiance against the authoritarian government, many called for the resignation of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.
The protests, which were named after the white paper symbol, were eventually shut down, but China lifted its Covid restrictions soon after. Not the Foreign Force, which also goes by the title “Urumqi Middle Road,” documented the protests and featured footage captured during the demonstrations.
