Chen Pin Lin, well-known director of the documentary “Not the Foreign Force”, has recently been charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a criminal offense under Article 293 of the Chinese criminal law, as reported by human rights news watchdogs Weiquanwang and Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch.
This development follows Chen’s arrest in January 2024, and he has consequently spent over a month in detention. Article 293 has previously come under scrutiny by Human Rights Watch due to its vague definition and frequent use against human rights defenders.
Chen’s documentary, alternatively titled “Ürümqi Road” in Chinese, explores the nation-wide protests against COVID-19 lockdown measures across China. The demonstrations initially ignited in Shanghai following a fatal fire that killed ten people in Ürümqi; the city’s strict lockdown measures were criticized for slowing down the response of fire services. Known casually as the “White Paper Protests,” demonstrators held blank pieces of paper above their heads to articulate their distraught silence over the disaster. Subsequently, the Chinese government was prompted to lift all COVID-19 restrictions in December 2022.
The video was first shared on China Digital Times under the pseudonym “Plato” on November 27, 2023, exactly one year after the start of the protests. Within the accompanying caption, Chen openly criticized the Chinese government for placing culpability on foreign forces. Chen asserted that as the government continues to misinform, erase, and conceal, it is the duty of the people to vocalize, remind, and remember. Chen concluded with a call to remember the “White Paper Protests.”
The charges laid against Chen are detailed extensively in this report.