Chinese artist is sentenced to 3 years in prison over satirical Mao artworks
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By The Associated Press
Originally published by NBC News on August 25, 2026
Gao Zhen, who is based in the U.S., was arrested while visiting family in China in August 2024 and charged over works that authorities deemed insulting to revolutionary figures.
BANGKOK — Chinese artist Gao Zhen was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday for “infringing upon the reputation of heroes” through his satirical works of art, including statues of China’s former leader Mao Zedong.
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Shane Yi, a researcher at Chinese Human Rights Defenders, who has been advocating for Gao’s case, described the sentence as “a very clear case of a violation of a person’s freedom of expression.”
Yi said the artist plans to appeal the sentence and noted that the artworks in question were created before the law Gao was sentenced with had been passed.
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