Shen, an independent filmmaker, producer, and head writer of the documentary “100 Years of Constitutionalism,” was questioned several times by authorities when he started to crowd-source money on the microblogging site Weibo to complete the project. On April 28, 2014, after he made 1,000 DVD copies of “100 Years of Constitutionalism” for his donors, he was placed under criminal detention on suspicion of illegal business activities. He was officially arrested on June 4 and his trial was scheduled for November 4, 2014. His lawyer later announced that the trial was delayed to an unspecified date. Official court documents said he was being held in adetention center in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Shen was the chief editor of the electronic monthly Constitutionalism. He also wrote a book, Include and Exclude CPC: The Truth of China’s National Revolution, and edited websites before being arrested.