The Secret Trial of a Chinese Artist Accused of Mocking Mao Zedong

March 29, 2026       Comments Off on The Secret Trial of a Chinese Artist Accused of Mocking Mao Zedong
The Secret Trial of a Chinese Artist Accused of Mocking Mao Zedong

By Lily Kuo

Originally published by The New York Times on March 29, 2026

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/world/asia/china-artist-gao-trial.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XFA.bKfv._HSg08bpsCzg&smid=url-share

Gao Zhen, who emigrated to the United States years ago, was arrested during a visit to China and now faces up to three years in prison for artwork.

Gao Zhen, left, and his brother Gao Qiang, with their artwork, “Mao’s Guilt,” in 2009.Credit…Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

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Shane Yi, a researcher at the nonprofit Chinese Human Rights Defenders, said the use of a “contrived, retroactively applied law” in a closed-door trial was evidence of “serious due process violations.”

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