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By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, April 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights office on Wednesday said it was concerned by the trial of Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, famous for making provocative satirical sculptures of former leader Mao Zedong.
Gao was tried at the end of March over accusations of "slandering national heroes and martyrs", the U.N. human rights office said — a law which it said came into force more than a decade after the satirical sculptures were created.
"The case against him raises concerns with regard to retroactive application of criminal law and use of criminal sanctions to punish artistic expression, undermining the principle of legality," the office said in a statement.
The Chinese mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Gao, who was detained in 2024 during a visit from the U.S., faces a maximum three-year prison sentence, said his wife Zhao Yaliang and Shane Yi, a researcher at the Chinese Human Rights Defenders group which operates outside the country.
The U.N. rights office called for Gao’s immediate release from detention, where he is being held pending judgment after his closed-door trial concluded on March 30, citing concerns that his health is deteriorating.
The one-day trial took place at Sanhe City People’s Court in Hebei province, neighbouring the capital Beijing, and ended without a verdict, Zhao and Yi told Reuters, citing information from his lawyers.
Verdicts are often announced months later in such trials.