Mao artist Gao Zhen held under Chinese law against defaming revolutionary ‘heroes’

Gao Zhen, a Chinese artist who is known for his critical depictions of Mao Zedong, has been detained under a law banning the defamation of “heroes and martyrs”.

In a post published on Facebook on Saturday, the artist’s brother Gao Qiang said the 58-year-old had been detained on Monday when police came to the pair’s studio in Sanhe, Hebei province, on the outskirts of Beijing.

Gao Zhen’s wife received a detention notice last Tuesday, saying her husband was suspected of “injuring the reputation and honour of a hero or martyr”, the post added.

The new offence was added to China’s criminal law in 2021 and carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

The addition came three years after another law passed in 2018 that bans the defamation of those who died protecting the country.