Shen Yongping Explained

Shen Yongping (; born November 23, 1980)[1] is a Chinese filmmaker who was arrested and imprisoned after making a documentary about the Chinese Constitution. Shen's documentary, entitled "A Hundred Years of Constitutionalism", was posted online and downloaded for free, and hundreds of DVDs were provided for free to people who contribute money to the film's production.[2] [3]

Shen was detained in April 2014 and jailed in Chaoyang District, Beijing, and was formally arrested on June 4. The Beijing Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television discovered 4,000 copies of Shen's documentary in his apartment, which officials said were illegal publications.[4] In his indictment, prosecutors argued Shen had a "weak understanding of the rule of law" when he released the film, and that he "disrupted the market order in a particularly serious manner".

After a Beijing district court hearing that began on December 12, 2014, Shen was sentenced to one year in prison for illegal business activities. His attorney has disputed the allegation, saying Shen did not make the film for profit, and claims he will appeal the decision.[5] Shen's supporters suggest his arrest was a thinly veiled punishment for his film's criticism of the Communist Party of China's failure to uphold the country's constitution.[6]

Shen's arrest and conviction is one of a series of examples of CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping taking a hard line against protestors, dissenters and artists critical of the Communist party. Shen was counted by the Committee to Protect Journalists as one of 44 journalists arrested in China in 2014, the most from any country that year.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shen Yongping's Indictment . China Change . October 27, 2014 . January 2, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150102025229/http://chinachange.org/2014/10/27/shen-yongpings-indictment/ . live . January 2, 2015.
  2. News: Wong . Edward . Prison Sentence for Maker of Documentary on Chinese Constitutional Rule . . December 30, 2014 . December 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150607124408/http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/30/prison-sentence-for-maker-of-documentary-on-chinese-constitutional-rule/?_r=0 . dead . June 7, 2015.
  3. News: A year's jail for China film-maker, says lawyer . . December 30, 2014 . December 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150105074802/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/showbiz/article/a-years-jail-for-china-film-maker-says-lawyer . live . January 5, 2015.
  4. News: Coonan . Clifford . Chinese Filmmaker Jailed After Documentary About Constitution . . January 1, 2015 . January 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150104192710/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinese-filmmaker-jailed-documentary-constitution-760901 . live . January 4, 2015.
  5. News: China jails filmmaker of constitution documentary . . December 30, 2014 . January 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141230143648/http://www.salon.com/2014/12/30/china_jails_filmmaker_of_constitution_documentary/ . dead . December 30, 2014.
  6. News: Tisdall . Simon . Chinese repression of dissent intensifies under ruthless Xi Jinping . . December 30, 2014 . January 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150102211345/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/30/china-repression-dissent-xi-jinping . live . January 2, 2015.
  7. News: China No. 1 for Jailed Journalists, Group Says . . December 17, 2014 . January 2, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141224195640/http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/12/17/china-no-1-for-jailed-journalists-group-says/ . live . December 24, 2014.

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