A filmmaker made a documentary about protests in China. Now he’s sentenced to more than 3 years in prison

A Chinese filmmaker has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for his documentary about China’s nationwide protests against Covid lockdowns in late 2022, as Beijing seeks to erase public memories of stunning scenes of dissent against its handling of the pandemic. Chen Pinlin was sentenced by a Shanghai court on Monday following a three-hour trial behind closed doors, a person familiar with the case told CNN. The 33-year-old was convicted of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a catch-all crime frequently used by the Chinese government to silence dissent and imprison activists, lawyers and journalists.

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