Email:online@newsofbahrain.com<\/p>\n
Beijing : Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, known for creating satirical sculptures of former leader Mao Zedong, has gone on trial in China over allegations of \u201cdefaming national heroes and martyrs,\u201d according to his wife and a rights group.<\/p>\n
Gao, 69, was detained in 2024 while visiting China from the United States, where he has lived since 2022. He is facing a possible prison sentence of up to three years.<\/p>\n
His wife, Zhao Yaliang, and Shane Yi from the Chinese Human Rights Defenders group said the trial was held on Monday at a court in Sanhe City, Hebei province, near Beijing. The proceedings were conducted behind closed doors and ended without a verdict, based on information from Gao\u2019s lawyers.<\/p>\n
Zhao said she was not allowed into the courtroom. Yi added that European Union diplomats also attempted to attend but were denied entry. Chinese authorities have not commented publicly on the case.<\/p>\n
Gao, who works with his brother Gao Qiang, is known for controversial artworks that criticise Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution (1966\u20131976), a period marked by political turmoil and mass deaths. Their works include \u201cMiss Mao,\u201d which portrays Mao with exaggerated features such as a Pinocchio nose, and \u201cMao\u2019s Guilt,\u201d which shows the leader kneeling in a remorseful pose.<\/p>\n
Zhao said she and the couple\u2019s seven-year-old son, a US citizen, are under exit bans and cannot leave China. She said they have not seen Gao since the year before last and have been barred from sending him letters since last May, adding that the situation has affected their child\u2019s health and emotions.<\/p>\n
Yi said Gao is suffering from several health issues, including malnutrition and spinal, knee, and eye conditions that require treatment.<\/p>\n
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