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CHINESE COURT IMPOSES $2.4 MILLION FINE ON ACTIVIST AI WEIWEI

September 27th, 2012

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – A Chinese court upheld the decision to impose a 15 million yuan, roughly $2.4 million, tax fine against Ai Weiwei in an alleged attempt to silence the activist’s dissidence.

Ai has experienced a host of troubles with the Chinese government due to his activism including a three month detention last year.  He was held without cause for 81 days, sparking international opposition to his detention because of the implications of a possible human rights violation.

[…]

Ai’s passport was also confiscated during his three month detainment, and it has yet to be returned to him.  The passport was supposedly set to be returned after Ai’s three month detainment in addition to a probationary period which ended in June.

The delay has directly hindered Ai’s ability to work since he is unable to travel outside of the country to attend his exhibitions and other work obligations abroad in Washington, New York, and Berlin.

Ai and his supporters allege that the claims against him are complete fabrications brought by the government due to AI’s role as an outspoken critic of the government in China.  He believes that the government is attempting to quell more of the rising dissidence in the country, using the inherently unfair justice system as its attack dog to silence any opposition.

Ai, however, says that this tax fine will do little to silence him

[…]

more here

http://impunitywatch.com/chinese-court-imposes-2-4-million-fine-on-activist-ai-weiwei/

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry – video review

In an extract from this week’s Guardian Film Show, Xan Brooks, Catherine Shoard and Peter Bradshaw review Alison Klayman’s documentary on the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei. Klayman spent time with the activist as he was being tracked by the Chinese authorities for calling into question their handling of the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is out in the UK tomorrow

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video/2012/aug/09/ai-weiwei-never-sorry-video-review

Alison Klayman and Jenifer Fineran discuss AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY with Francis Wilkinson (Video)

October 1, 2012 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized