Chinese dissident artist jailed for 3 years over Mao sculptures, family and rights group say
Gao Zhen will challenge the maximum penalty after a court said his artworks insulted heroes and martyrs, rights groups said it deters independent expression.
- On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Sanhe City People's Court sentenced artist Gao Zhen to three years in prison for "insulting heroes," though the United States resident has decided to appeal the conviction and sentence.
- Authorities applied a law banning criticism of national heroes retroactively to artworks Gao created between 2005 and 2009, including a sculpture titled "Guilt" depicting Mao Zedong kneeling in repentance.
- Gao, 70, suffers from multiple health conditions including lumbar spine disease, while his wife, Zhao Yaliang, and son remain subject to an exit ban on alleged national security grounds preventing them from leaving China.
- Amnesty International China Director Sarah Brooks called the conviction a "deterrent" against artistic expression, while Chinese Human Rights Defenders researcher Shane Yi described the ruling as "a very clear case of a violation of a person's freedom of expression."
- This case reflects the state's increased grip on expression, and Gao's legal team plans to challenge the verdict, hoping to reunite with family in the United States despite the restrictive environment.
37 Articles
37 Articles
The plastic artist Gao Zhen was sentenced to 3 years in prison for defaming the memory of the founder of the People's Republic of China, through his satirical sculptures. Under Xi Jinping, China strongly strengthened its Penal Code in order to sanction violations of the official narrative "The charge that is aimed at him: harming the reputation of Mao Zedong. His "crime": creating art. The "proof": works created fifteen years ago. The "crime sce…
Gao Zhen, who lived in New York, was arrested while visiting family in Beijing - His wife and son, who is a US citizen, have not been able to leave the country since.
Gao Zhen, a Chinese artist, was sentenced on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 for works carried out with his brother some fifteen years ago, openly mocking the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The plasticist, resident in the United States but imprisoned in China was found guilty of "defamation of heroes and martyrs", under a law prohibiting criticism of the country's former leaders. A new step in intensifying the repression of freedom of expression und…
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lrytas.ltChina on Tuesday sentenced a prominent artist who criticized former leader Mao Zedong in his works to three years in prison for "insulting heroes," a human rights group said.
Under head of state Xi, the Chinese judiciary is increasingly taking action against critical artists. A court sentenced Gao Zhen to a prison sentence. His offense: he had made provocative statues of Mao years ago. By B. Eyssel.
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