【新唐人2014年08月27日讯】“第11届北京独立影像展”在8月23日举办前夕，被通州区警方强迫取消。警方搜查主办方办公室，带走主办人员两人。一百多名学者、作家、律师联署呼吁书，要求立即停止对独立影展的非法干扰。
据《美国之音》报导，通州区政法委书记石宝玉在23号下午带队，跳墙进入主办方电影基金的场所，强行查抄所有电脑，近十年的影像资料、账簿等，并将电影基金创始人栗宪庭和艺术总监王宏伟，强行带到派出所。经过宋庄艺术家们集体声援好几个小时，栗宪庭和王宏伟才在当晚10点多获释。
影展策划人、北京艺术工作者栗宪庭在微信上发布消息称，从8月18号影展的海报和排片表在网络上发布后，就受到警方监视。国安人员和当地政府部门还向他施压，要求影展停办。后来，宋庄小堡村领导曾到他家，传达上头停办影展的指示，但又说同意影展离开北京，到河北燕郊举办。
于是在上周四，电影基金会预定了河北“燕郊汇福酒店”的放映场地，但后来收到酒店通知说，警方不许酒店举办影展。北京公安第二天带走电影节两名筹备人员，扣押了5个小时，直到他们签署“停办影展承诺书”后才获释。
中国律师观察中心的创办人、法律学者赵国君，23号发起联署，对当局通过恐吓、限制、骚扰、关押等非法手段，侵害艺术自由和侵犯人权的行为，表示严重关注。
赵国君对《新唐人》表示，“独立影像展”电影节涵盖类型片，故事片和记录片。影片都是由一些对电影有追求的民间电影人个人制作，持独立立场。民间的电影节不需向政府报备，获得批准，当局也没有权利对其封杀。
中国律师观察中心创办人赵国君：“那什么是结社自由啊？什么是表达自由啊？什么是艺术的创作自由啊？另外即便有，我们现在特别追问的是，为什么这种艺术审查不用公开的法定理由呢？为什么要用这种所谓的流氓化的干扰呢？这个首先本身就是问题。”
参与联署的北京企业家王瑛表示，中共对言论自由的打压会不断升级。
北京企业家王瑛：“凡属原来公布的东西，在目前的这样一个情况下，包括我们可以预见到的未来，实际上是会逐步升级的。这些东西他们都是要下决心铲除掉，让你根本就没有活动空间。”
王瑛指出，凡是不是按照中共的洗脑要求存在的东西，对它来说都是可怕的。
《浙江大学学报》编辑庄道鹤也参与联署，他认为当局打压“独立电影节”是因为其中的影片记录真实的生活和历史。他表示，参展的很多影片类似口述历史，用亲身经历的遭遇来反映这个时代的过去和现在。
浙江大学学报编辑庄道鹤：“因为他们记录了真实的历史。发表了真实的画面。对他们（中共）高大上，伟光正形象有损。”
创始于2006年的“北京独立影像展”，近年发展成中国一个较具影响力的独立影像展，但同时也引起了当局的注意。
2012年的影像展在开幕仅3小时后，就被当局拉闸断电、驱散观众。去年的影像展虽然得以举行，但取消了公众放映环节。
采访编辑/秦雪 后制/舒灿
Beijing Police Shut Down Independent Film Festival
Police forcibly cancelled the 11th Beijing Independent Film
Festival on Aug. 23.
Police searched the director’s office
and detained two organizers.
It has drawn the concern of scholars, writers and lawyers
who collectively signed an appeal demanding
an immediate stop to this illegal harassment
at an independent film festival.
Voice of America reported that Shi Baoyu,
the Tongzhou District Politics and Law Committee secretary,
led a team of men to jump over a wall to access the venue.
Computers, films and records compiled over a decade
and account books were confiscated.
The organizer Li Xianting and artistic director
Wang Hongwei were forcibly taken to the police station.
They were only released at 10 p.m. after hours of local
artists’ collective solidarity.
Li Xianting later announced on WeChat that since Aug. 18
when the festival poster and show time were released online,
police began surveillance.
National security and local government have pressured him
to shut down the festival.
The local village leader also visited him at home, delivering
instructions from Beijing to shut down the festival,
but also agreed to relocate the festival to Yanjiao
of Hebei Province.
Last Thursday, the Film Foundation scheduled
the screening venue at Yuanjiao hotel in Hebei,
but was later rejected by the hotel which claimed
the police forbid the event.
Beijing police detained the two organizers the next day.
They were kept for five hours after they signed
the agreement to stop the festival.
The Chinese lawyers’ rights defending website organizer,
Zhao Guojun, launched a signatories on the Aug. 23
to express serious concern about the violation of artistic
freedom and human rights via the authorities
through illegal means such as intimidation, restrictions,
harassment and imprisonment.
Zhao Guojun told NTD, the Independent Film Festival
features films and documentaries from individual filmmakers
holding an independent position.
Government approval is not required for the folk festival,
and the authorities have no right to ban them.
Zhao Guojun: “What is the freedom of association?
What is freedom of expression?
What is the freedom of artistic creativity?
Even if there is freedom, why is there no legal rule
regarding public art review?
Why do they have to interfere with such a rogue style?
That is the problem."
Wang Ying, a participant of the signatory, indicates the CCP
suppression of freedom of speech will continue to upgrade.
Beijing entrepreneur Wang Ying: “We can foresee that it will
only be gradually upgraded, including the previously
announced regulations.
They are determined to eliminate any space for freedom."
Wang Ying believes anything not in compliance with
the idea of brainwashing is a threat to the CCP.
Journal of Zhejiang University Editor Zhuang Daohe
also joined the co-signatory.
He believes the documentary of livelihood
and history is the cause of the suppression.
He indicates that many participating films
are like oral history which reflects the times
in the past and present with personal experience.
Zhuang Daohe: “These true historical documentaries
record the facts which are prejudicial to the CCP’s
image of being great, right and super."
Founded in 2006, the Beijing Independent Film Festival
has developed into an influential event
and become a target of the CCP.
In 2012, within three hours of opening, the electricity
was cut off and the audience was dispersed.
Last year, the festival was held but the public
screening session was canceled.
Interview & Edit/QinXue Post-Production/ShuCan
