China sentences artist Gao Zhen to 3 years’ jail for ‘insulting heroes’, says rights group
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Originally published by The Straits Times on August 25, 2026
PHOTO: SHIHO FUKADA/NYTIMES
BEIJING – China sentenced a prominent artist whose works criticised former leader Mao Zedong to three years in prison on Aug 25 for “insulting heroes”, a rights group said.
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The artist – whose name can also be written as Gao Shen – was indicted in June 2025 on charges of “insulting… heroes and martyrs”, according to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) group.
On Aug 25, CHRD told AFP news agency that Gao was sentenced to three years in prison – the maximum sentence for that crime – at Sanhe City Court in China’s northern Hebei province.
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“That’s a human rights violation on its face, collective punishment extending to his family,” CHRD’s Shane Yi told AFP.
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