India, Aug. 26 -- Chinese artist Gao Zhen has been sentenced to three years in prison for "slandering China's heroes and martyrs", prompting Amnesty International to condemn the conviction as a serious attack on artistic freedom and independent expression.
Maximum sentence over decade-old artworks
The Sanhe City People's Court in Hebei Province handed Gao, 70, the maximum three-year sentence on August 25. The charges stem from artworks created more than a decade ago that authorities claimed insulted revolutionary figures.
Gao, a US permanent resident and one half of the internationally known Gao Brothers artistic duo, was detained in August 2024. His prison term is due to end on August 25, 2027, and he has decided to appeal the convictio...