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Asia-Pacific (China) – April 6, 2026

As reported by ARTnews, last week HRF submitted a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen. He is charged under a law enacted in 2018 for 3 sculptures produced from 2006 to 2009 that critically examine the tyrannical reign of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong.

Highly censored in China, these works have only been featured abroad recently, including at the 2025 Oslo Freedom Forum, when HRF’s Art in Protest program displayed them as part of an exhibition titled “The Guilty Will Kneel.”

HRF’s Art in Protest and Impact Litigation programs help ensure that artists who challenge dictatorship are not silenced and that prisoners of conscience in authoritarian regimes are represented at the international level. Support for these programs enables HRF to continue this vital work.

HRF submits UN petition on behalf of Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen

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