A Shanghai court has sentenced Chinese director Chen Pinlin to three and a half years in prison for his documentary film on the "white paper" protests that erupted across China in late 2022. The protests, which saw citizens holding up blank sheets of paper as a symbol of defiance against government censorship, were a response to the country's strict COVID-19 measures, as reported by Reuters.

The protests, which quickly gained national momentum, were the largest anti-government demonstrations in China since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Under President Xi Jinping's leadership, they were the most significant public display of discontent, marking a moment of defiance against the zero-COVID policy. Demonstrators were calling for an end to the government's harsh pandemic controls, and in some cases, for greater freedom of speech and democratic reforms.

Chen, 33, was arrested in November 2023 and charged with "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," a vague accusation frequently used by Chinese authorities against activists, dissidents, and journalists. This charge can carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and Chen's guilty plea led to a sentence of three and a half years, despite his intention to appeal the ruling.

His 77-minute documentary, titled "Urumqi Road," is a compilation of footage filmed by Chen in Shanghai, alongside video clips posted by internet users that were quickly removed from Chinese social media. The film documents a historic moment of protest, which was censored within China but has since been shown outside the country to global audiences. Chen’s work, uploaded to YouTube under the pseudonym "Plato," continues to circulate as a poignant record of defiance against authoritarian control.

International human rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have condemned Chen's imprisonment, arguing that his only crime was documenting a significant protest against censorship. The organisation has called for greater international pressure on China to release Chen, along with over 120 other detained journalists and press freedom advocates.

This case highlights the continued suppression of dissent in China, particularly surrounding the 2022 protests, and signals the government's ongoing efforts to silence public discourse and limit the freedom to mourn pandemic victims.