China jails artist Gao Zhen under 2018 law for sculptures made in 2009

A court in Sanhe City, Hebei Province, sentenced Gao Zhen to three years' imprisonment on 25 August 2026 for three Mao-satirising sculptures made in 2009. He was convicted under China's Law on Protection of Heroes and Martyrs, promulgated in 2018 — nearly a decade after the works were created. Gao, 70, has already been held for two years. His appeal is pending.