Gao Zhen gets 3 years over Mao art, CHRD says

Chinese artist Gao Zhen has been sentenced to three years in prison for “insulting heroes” in a case over works criticising former leader Mao Zedong, Chinese Human Rights Defenders said.

The US-based rights group said Gao, 70, received the sentence on Tuesday at Sanhe City Court in northern Hebei province. It said the term was the maximum sentence for the offence of insulting heroes and martyrs.

Gao and his brother Gao Qiang became known in the early 2000s for art addressing politically sensitive subjects in China, including the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen Square protests and Mao’s legacy. Their works include a sculpture titled “Mao’s Guilt” and another work, “Execution of Christ”, showing bronze statues of Mao aiming rifles at Jesus.

Gao, who moved to the United States in 2022, was detained at his studio on the outskirts of Beijing during a visit to China in August 2024. Chinese Human Rights Defenders said he was indicted in June 2025 on charges of insulting heroes and martyrs.

The group said Chinese authorities appeared to be applying a 2021 law retroactively to works Gao created between 2005 and 2009.

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights called for Gao to be “immediately and unconditionally released”. The UN human rights office said the case raised concerns about retroactive criminal law, the use of criminal sanctions to punish artistic expression and the impact on his family.

Rights groups said Gao’s wife and their son, a US citizen, have been banned from leaving China since 2024. Chinese Human Rights Defenders’ Shane Yi described that as collective punishment.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China director, said the sentence showed the authorities’ determination “to deter others from engaging in independent artistic expression”. Amnesty said Gao is due to complete his sentence in August 2027 but has decided to appeal both the conviction and the prison term.

Sanhe City Court did not answer multiple calls from AFP on Tuesday. AFP said it had also contacted the US State Department for comment.