Trudie Styler Speaks Out Against Oppressive Chinese Regime

Trudie Styler has been banned from China since the early 1990s, when she courageously began shooting her award-winning documentary 'Moving the Mountain: The Tiananmen Square Massacre,' which she co-produced with 'Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' director Michael Apted.

Despite the setback, Styler remains a vocal human rights advocate, screening the 1994 film around the world last week in honor of Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been jailed in his homeland for speaking out against the Communist regime.

Styler tells Tonic, "Michael and I are extremely touched that the film was selected to be played as part of the tributes to the Nobel Laureate this year."

Styler hopes that those who see the film will lend their support to Xiaobo, who is currently serving an 11-year sentence. "Anyone who is courageous enough to speak out there is quickly squashed," Styler says of China's oppressive government. "It's a call to consciousness for those of us in the West. We should raise our voices and let our voices be heard."
Styler recounts the dangerous filming process, during which she and Apted secretly taped footage in a number of major Chinese cities, including recordings of the Tiananmen Square massacre itself.

"We were told to cease and desist and were blacklisted from going to China," she says. "We were a little bit nervous while we were there, because we had smuggled in a camera and film and there may have been time in prison before we were bailed out."

In addition to her screenings, Styler is promoting Xiaobo's cause online, urging others to visit www.amnestyusa.org to petition for his freedom. "This is the moment for us to come together as a global family and say to China, "This is not acceptable and until you set Liu Xiaobo and other prisoners of conscience free, we won't be doing business with you. We should not do business with a country who incarcerates people just for believing in something different."

Styler, who spoke to PopEater recently about her new yoga-inspired workout DVD, says that her husband, Sting, is a staunch supporter of the cause as well. When the musician was invited to China, he was informed that Styler would not be allowed to join him. "He said, 'Then I will not be taking up your invitation,'" says Styler. "It's a badge of honor because I have no regrets about making this film."Filed under: Famous Couples - WTF - Celebrity Scandal Tags: Trudie Styler
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