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Chinese Artist Gao Zhen Sentenced to Three Years for Mao Sculptures

A court sentenced artist Gao Zhen to three years in prison for slandering a national hero, the maximum penalty, according to the Bangkok Post.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 25, 2026, 3:36 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 25, 2026, 3:40 a.m. ET
Developing · checked 2h ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 25, 2026, 3:39 a.m. ET — checked 2h ago.

Chinese artist Gao Zhen has been to for slandering one of the country's heroes, the Bangkok Post reported. The sentence matches the statutory maximum of . The government claimed Gao Zhen made irreverent sculptures of Mao Zedong and disseminated images of them online, slandering a national hero, according to the Bangkok Post.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 25, 2026, 3:36 a.m. ETFirst report

    Chinese Artist Sentenced to Three Years for Mao Sculptures

    Chinese artist Gao Zhen has been sentenced to three years in prison for slandering one of the country's heroes, the Bangkok Post reported. The government claimed Gao made irreverent sculptures of Mao Zedong and disseminated images of them online, slandering a national hero. The sentence matches the statutory maximum of three years, according to the Bangkok Post.

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Revision history

  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 07:36current

    First published.

  2. Version 125 Aug 2026, 07:40current

    First published.

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