Gao Zhen Sentenced to Three Years for Mao-Related Artwork
Gao Zhen (高兟) was sentenced by the Sanhe City People’s Court, Hebei, to three years in prison for “infringing the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs.” His sentence runs from August 26, 2024, to August 25, 2027. The court found that Gao had created sculptures that deliberately distorted and vilified Mao Zedong’s image and later disseminated images of the works online. Some of the artworks were created before China enacted the Law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs in 2018.
According to the judgment, Gao and others created three sculpture series, including Repentance, at a studio in Beijing’s 798 Art District between 2005 and 2009, then exhibited them overseas between 2010 and 2013. From 2013 to 2024, they continued to circulate images of the sculptures through an overseas X account, formerly Twitter. Gao also authorized use of the images on book covers and participated in related award ceremonies. Citing the prolonged online dissemination and alleged harm to Mao’s reputation and the public interest, the court found the offense “serious.” Gao denied the charges, arguing that the sculptures did not specifically depict Mao and that his conduct constituted artistic expression, but the court rejected both arguments.
Update: Three Leaders of Wheatseed Reformed Church Sentenced
On August 10, 2026, the Fuyang City People’s Court, Anhui, sentenced three Wheatseed Reformed Church leaders for “organizing illegal gatherings.” Pastor Zhang Sen (张森) received a sentence of one year and seven months, ending January 24, 2027. Pastor Chang Shun (常顺) was sentenced to one year and six months, while elder Ma Shutao (马树涛) received one year and four months.
Authorities transferred the case to the procuratorate in October 2025. The charges arose from the three leaders’ roles in unregistered religious gatherings and allegations that they had preached to minors.
Update: Du Bin Sentenced to 18 Months
On August 28, 2026, Du Bin (杜斌) was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, with his sentence reportedly ending on April 14, 2027. His June 24 trial in Beijing’s Shunyi District Court reportedly relied on about 40 social-media posts, reposts and comments as evidence. Before sentencing, Du requested permission to see his critically ill mother but was denied; she subsequently died.
Du, a prominent human-rights photographer, documentary filmmaker, and former journalist, was detained in Beijing on October 15, 2025, while preparing to travel to Japan, and charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He had previously been detained in 2013 and 2020 over his work.
Sun Chao Detained Over Christian House-Church Activities
A Christian preacher from Qujing, Yunnan, Sun Chao (孙超) has served in an unregistered house church since 2015 and was repeatedly detained for his religious activities. He was administratively detained in Kunming in April 2024 and Qujing in June 2025, and on July 25, 2026, was again detained in Xuanwei for 12 days for allegedly engaging in “illegal religious activities.” When his detention was due to expire on August 7, authorities instead converted it to criminal detention on suspicion of “illegal organization of gatherings.” Sun, who reportedly has epilepsy and requires regular medication, is currently held at the Xuanwei City Detention Center; his wife has expressed concern about his access to necessary medication and the impact of his detention on their family.im
Lu Huihuang Released After Serving Four-and-a-Half-Year Sentence for Supporting the “Chained Woman” Victim
Lu Huihuang (陆辉煌), a Guangxi-based democracy activist and online writer, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for “inciting subversion” after publicly calling for an investigation into the “chained woman” case in Xuzhou. The incident came to light in January 2022 when a video showed a woman in Feng County, Xuzhou, chained by the neck in a dilapidated building; she was reportedly found to have been trafficked and subjected to prolonged abuse and unlawful confinement.
Lu’s appeal was rejected, and he completed his sentence and was released on August 17, 2026. He had previously served two years and six months for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” over articles advocating political reform and criticizing the authorities. After his release in 2021, he continued his online activism and was detained again on February 18, 2022, after publicly supporting the Xuzhou “chained woman” victim. He was subsequently transferred to Qinzhou Prison in March 2023 to serve his sentence.
Uyghur Rapper Yashar Shohret Released After Three-Year Sentence
Yashar Shohret (亚夏尔·肖合拉提), a Uyghur rapper known by the stage name Uigga, was released on August 10, 2026, after completing a three-year prison sentence. He was sentenced in June 2024 by the Bole City People’s Court in Xinjiang for “promoting extremism” and “illegally possessing items promoting extremism.”
Shohret was detained after participating in a November 27, 2022, White Paper Movement gathering in Chengdu, where he knelt before candles and sang a mourning song in Uyghur for victims of the Urumqi apartment fire. He was subsequently arrested twice and held for several months before his conviction. His whereabouts, health, and conditions following his release remain unknown.