HRF calls on the Chinese government to immediately release artist Gao Zhen

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (Nov. 4, 2024) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), along with our Chinese partners dedicated to artistic freedom, expresses deep concern over the arrest and arbitrary detention of Gao Zhen, a prominent contemporary Chinese artist and a member of the well-known Gao Brothers, a collaborative artist duo. In a letter to the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York and other embassies, we call for his unconditional release.

On Aug. 26, Gao was arrested and detained after 30 police officers conducted a raid on his studio in Yanjiao, a town in the small city of Sanhe, in the northern province of Hebei. He has been held since at the Sanhe City Detention Center on charges of “slandering China’s heroes and martyrs” — a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.

A United States green card holder, Gao, 68, as part of his artistic collaborative duo, has made a career out of exposing the horrors of the Cultural Revolution through satirical humor that pushes the boundaries of social commentary. His works are also bold critiques of the Cultural Revolution and former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Mao Zedong and his authoritarian rule of the country. 

“These are sensitive topics considered taboo in today’s CCP-controlled China, but which are incredibly necessary to educate the world on the truth of Mao’s dictatorial legacy,” HRF Chief Advocacy Officer Roberto Gonzalez said. “His detention is not just a violation of his rights but a blatant abuse of power and an attack on the fundamental human freedoms of all Chinese people who have the right to learn the truth about dictator Mao Zedong.” 

HRF demands Gao Zhen’s immediate and unconditional release as well as the CCP’s repeal of the Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law to safeguard artistic freedom in China.

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The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.