Artist Gao Zhen given maximum three-year sentence for his art: Amnesty International issues urgent action urging release and lifting of family's exit ban

Full report

Amnesty International issued its third urgent action for Chinese artist Gao Zhen (106/25, Index ASA 17/1527/2026, China, dated 2 October 2026); Amnesty International Canada published an updated action page on October 10, 2026. The action urges the authorities to: immediately and unconditionally release Gao Zhen; pending his release, ensure his right to communicate with his family is fully respected, protect him from torture or other ill-treatment, and provide adequate and independent medical assessment and treatment; and stop harassing and threatening his family and allow them to leave the country freely and safely. [1][2]

Gao Zhen, 70, is a prominent figure in contemporary Chinese art and one half of the renowned Gao Brothers duo. Since the 1980s, the brothers have used satire and humour to explore the atrocities of the Cultural Revolution, and their work also critiques former Chinese leader Mao Zedong and the authoritarian practices of his regime — subjects that remain deeply sensitive and often taboo in contemporary China. [1]

On August 26, 2024, authorities detained Gao Zhen while he was travelling in China with his wife and son. Around 30 police officers raided his studio in Yanjiao, a town in Sanhe City, Hebei province. They photographed his artworks and confiscated several sculptures, most of which he had created more than a decade earlier. Authorities then sealed the studio. [1]

The case went to trial in March 2026; on August 25, 2026, the Sanhe City People's Court in Hebei province convicted Gao Zhen of 'slandering China's heroes and martyrs' and imposed the offence's statutory maximum — three years in prison, due to end on August 25, 2027. In his final court statement, Gao argued that the charges concerned artworks he created between 2005 and 2009, while the offence was introduced into criminal law many years after those works were made; he challenged the retroactive application of the law and defended his work as legitimate artistic expression, also expressing his wish to reunite with his family. He has appealed the conviction and sentence, and the case has moved to the Langfang Intermediate People's Court. [1][2]

There are serious concerns about Gao Zhen's health and well-being in detention. Before sentencing, reliable sources reported that the 70-year-old artist suffered from several health conditions, including lumbar spine disease and fluid accumulation in his knees, and had reportedly collapsed several times in detention. After sentencing on August 25, 2026, Gao reportedly vomited blood several times and was taken from the detention centre to hospital for examination; although his immediate symptoms later subsided, the cause remains unknown. Meanwhile, his wife remains barred from leaving China on national security grounds despite facing no formal charges; their eight-year-old son is a US citizen with the legal right to leave China, but in practice cannot do so without an accompanying adult, ideally one of his parents. The de facto exit ban has disrupted his schooling for more than two years. [1][2]

Verification note: this record documents the verifiable public act — Amnesty International issuing the urgent action for Gao Zhen. The timeline of detention, raid, trial, conviction and sentencing comes from Amnesty's action documents; details of his health in detention and of the harassment and exit restrictions on his family come from sources cited in Amnesty's reports and have not been independently verified by this site. Gao Zhen has appealed; this site will continue to follow the appeal, his health, and any change in the restrictions on his family. [1][2]