Human Rights Watch called on the Chinese government to immediately drop all charges against US permanent resident Gao Zhen and allow him to return to the United States on Tuesday. Gao was arrested in August 2024 in Sanhe City, where he was visiting family members, on the charge of slandering China’s heroes and martyrs through his provocative artworks critiquing the Cultural Revolution.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, highlighted the gravity of the situation, saying:

The Chinese authorities’ prosecution of Gao Zhen both violates his basic rights and indicates a step back toward China’s painful past. Critique about Mao’s brutal legacy, once tolerated, now seems to be off-limits as President Xi Jinping tightens his ideological control.

Human Rights Watch called for

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