- Chinese artist Gao Zhen jailed for art critical of Cultural Revolution
- Authorities raided studio, seized artwork, and cited slander of heroes
- Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan re-arrested after recent release, drawing international concern
According to his brother and creative associate Gao Qiang, Gao Zhen, a Chinese artist known for his works critical of the Cultural Revolution, has been jailed by Chinese authorities.
According to Gao Qiang, authorities raided the brothers’ art studio in Sanhe, east of Beijing, on August 26th, confiscated many works of art, and arrested Gao Zhen after he refused to hand up his phone. He stated that authorities had received a complaint but did not provide further specifics. He said the Sanhe public security department informed Gao Zhen’s wife the next day that her husband was suspected of slandering China’s heroes and martyrs, a misdemeanour punishable by up to three years in prison.
The Gao brothers are well-known for their works representing former Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, who initiated the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. According to Gao Qiang, all confiscated works were over a decade old and mirrored the Cultural Revolution. The works predate the law against insulting heroes and martyrs, which was passed in 2018 with no jail time connected and was later amended with additional harsh sanctions in 2021.
“I believe that imposing a retroactive penalty for activities committed before the new legislation went into effect violates the ‘principle of non-retroactivity,’ a generally acknowledged criterion in the modern rule of law. “There is a clear distinction between artistic creation and criminal behaviour,” he explained.
Gao Qiang told Artsnet that the brothers, whose father was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution as a “class enemy” and purportedly committed himself in jail, had not produced any works on the subject since.
“We are completely exhausted from dealing with the ghosts of the Cultural Revolution and have stopped creating such work,” according to him.
“They are detaining a nearly 70-year-old artist under regulations only implemented in the last two years.” This condition is precisely what those works were intended to criticise.”
According to his brother, Gao Zhen has resided in the United States since 2022 but was in China to see family. He stated that Gao Zhen left China to allow his kid to attend school in the United States due to the deteriorating political atmosphere. Their work was frequently the target of authorities and was among the galleries seized in 2006. Gao Qiang stated on social media that Gao Zhen planned to return to the United States on Tuesday with his wife and children.
Xi Jinping, the Communist Party’s leader, has become increasingly authoritarian, targeting social and cultural groups and figures. Authorities often use statutes such as the criminal slandering heroes and the ambiguous crime of picking fights to target attorneys, artists, dissidents, and journalists.
Also, last week, supporters reported that citizen journalist Zhang Zhan had been imprisoned by officials only months after being released from imprisonment. Zhang was released in May after serving several years for reporting from Wuhan during the Covid outbreak. Human rights NGOs have widely denounced her conviction.
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According to supporters, Zhang was arrested again in her hometown of Shaanxi on Monday after meeting with the mother of a previously jailed activist. Zhang was being held in Shanghai’s Pudong detention centre, but it was unclear whether she was subject to criminal detention or administrative detention, which permits authorities to hold someone without charge for up to 15 days.
Reporters Without Borders voiced concern about her apparent incarceration and called for swift mobilisation of the world diplomatic community to protect her safety.
After narrowly surviving four years in prison and living under close monitoring ever since, it is evident that Chinese authorities intend to continue punishing Zhang Zhan for her independent journalism, according to Rebecca Vincent, RSF’s director of campaigns.
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