China: Drop Charges, End Sham Trial of Artist Gao Zhen

March 25, 2026 Comments Off

Authorities punishing artistic freedom under retroactive application of law

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—March 25, 2026) Chinese Human Rights Defenders learned today that Sanhe City Court in Hebei Province will put detained artist Gao Zhen on trial on March 30 at 9 AM local time. The trial hearing will be held behind closed doors. Authorities will not allow Gao’s family to attend, in violation of Chinese law.

Before announcing the trial date, Sanhe City Court held a pre-trial hearing on March 24, less than two weeks after it had postponed the start of his trial for the third time.

“Gao Zhen has the right to freedom of artistic expression. The use of a contrived, retroactively applied law and a closed trial underscores serious due process violations,” said Shane Yi, researcher at Chinese Human Rights Defenders. “The charges should be dropped and Gao Zhen released immediately.”

Sanhe City police detained Gao on August 26, 2024 at his art studio in Yanjiao Town, Hebei Province during a trip from the United States to visit extended family. On June 20, 2025, the Sanhe City Procuratorate indicted Gao on the charge of “insulting, defaming, or otherwise infringing on the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs” under Article 299(1) of China’s Criminal Law. This article came into effect on March 1, 2021 and carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. The artworks on which authorities based the charge were created between 2005 and 2009 in Beijing, rendering the application of the law retroactive.

Gao Zhen, who will turn 70 in May 2026, has a number of pre-existing medical conditions, including lumbar spine disease, knee effusion, an eye disease, and chronic hives. His health has deteriorated during detention and he has been deprived of food at the Sanhe City Detention Center. These conditions may amount to torture or ill-treatment under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which China ratified in 1988.

In addition to detaining Gao, authorities have arbitrarily banned his wife, Zhao Yaliang, and their seven-year-old son, a citizen of the United States, from leaving China, a form of collective punishment to penalize them by family association.

For more information, please contact:

Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, sophierichardson[at]nchrd.org, +1 917 721 7473

Angeli Datt, Research and Advocacy Coordinator, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, angelidatt[at]nchrd.org, +1 934 444 6155

Shane Yi, Researcher, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, shaneyi[at]nchrd.org