A Chinese artist was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday for “infringing upon the reputation of heroes” through satirical works of art, including statues of the country’s former leader Mao Zedong.

The US-based Gao Zhen, who was part of an artistic duo known as the Gao Brothers, was arrested while visiting family in China in August 2024. He has been in custody ever since.

He was sentenced by the Sanhei People’s Court court in northern Hebei province, according to his wife Zhao Yaliang.

The charges against Gao relate to artistic works that China considers insulting to revolutionary figures. One such piece of work is a 2009 statue called Mao’s Guilt which shows the founder of modern China kneeling in repentance. Another is the Miss Mao series of caricatures depicting Mao with breasts and an engorged nose.

Shane Yi, a researcher at Chinese Human Rights Defenders, who has been advocating for Gao’s case, described the sentence as “a very clear case of a violation of a person’s freedom of expression.”

Yi said the artist planned to appeal the sentence and noted that the artworks in question were created before the law Gao was sentenced under had been passed.

The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Amnesty International criticised the court sentence, which it described as a deterrent against artistic expression.

“The lengthy pre-trial detention and, ultimately, decision to convict Gao Zhen and sentence him to the maximum three-year prison term under this offense illustrate the authorities’ determination to deter others from engaging in independent artistic expression,” Amnesty’s China director Sarah Brooks said.

“No artist should face criminal punishment for creating work that challenges official narratives or encourages critical reflection on history.”

Zhao said she hoped to be reunited with her husband, and be able to return to the US, where the family had immigrated. “I felt two years was my limit and I was really disappointed and sad,” she said. “I haven’t been able to catch my breath.”

She had prepared clothes for her husband hoping he would be released. Chinese courts often count pretrial detention as time served in a sentence.

The Gao Brothers, whose works addressed themes of authoritarianism and censorship, became famous during a time of relative openness in China and were exhibited both inside the country and abroad.

In recent years, however, Beijing has increased scrutiny of certain aspects of expression, especially in regards to political figures. In 2018 the legislature passed a law banning any criticism of the country’s heroes.

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