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https://www.change.org/p/free-artist-gao-zhen-freedom-for-the-arts
PETITION to FREE artist GAO ZHEN – and for the freedom of the arts
Urgent action needed to FREE GAO ZHEN:
The internationally acclaimed artist Gao Zhen (The GAO BROTHERS) was arrested in China, August 26, 2024 for his art. He is being held captive as a political prisoner in Sanhe at the Sanhe Detention Center.
On the day of issuing this petition, Gao Zhen has been imprisoned for two months, although he is INNOCENT and jailed WITHOUT A TRAIL.
The informal accusation by the authorities is based on a law put into force in 2021 by Xi Jinping that ‘heroes and martyrs of the PRC have to be respected’ – and Gao Zhen’s artworks violated this law. The referring artworks of Gao Zhen (satirical of Chairman Mao), however, were created years before this law was enacted.
This is a violation of international standards of jurisdiction and a violation of HUMAN RIGHTS.
While Gao Zhen is detained, his wife and young son (a six-year-old with a United State passport!), have been denied to leave the country, and are now being kept hostage to urge Gao Zhen to plead guilty to charges of which he did not commit. He will never do this.
The detention of artist Gao Zhen for his art and the keeping hostage of his family, are violations of HUMAN RIGHTS. And denying a US passport is an infringement of the Diplomatic Code of Conduct mutually agreed upon in bilateral relations (between China and the USA).
The more: Gao Zhen is a 68-year-old senior of poor health. And his detention conditions have recently threatened to be hardened. We, therefore, are extremely concerned about Gao surviving these unrighteous and inhuman atrocities.
For all these reasons, we demand the Chinese authorities – respectively ‘Chairman’ Xi Jinping to set Gao Zhen free immediately. It would be prudent to realize that his release would avoid the questionable history of Mao to be widely discussed and put onto the inter/national stage. In other words: The release of the artist Gao Zhen is in the interest of China and its reputation in the world.
We ask the public to support our fight and demand the FREEDOM for GAO ZHEN and for his family.
PLEASE RECOGNIZE AND SIGN THIS PETITION.
P.S. Here are more details how the arrest happened and why:
Gao Zhen returned to China with his wife and children to visit relatives for a few days. He originally planned to fly back to New York from Beijing on September 3.
At about 11 a.m. on August 26, more than 30 police-officers suddenly rushed into the Gao Brothers‘ Yanjiao studio to search and collect evidence, and asked Gao Zhen to hand over his mobile phone. Gao Zhen refused and was forcibly handcuffed and taken away.
On August 27, Gao Zhen’s wife received a detention notice from the Sanhe City Public Security Bureau, and learned that Gao Zhen was criminally detained by the Sanhe City Public Security Bureau on August 26 for suspected crimes of infringing the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs. He is currently detained in the Sanhe City Detention Center.
Artworks were taken and partly destroyed in the lot where they were stored; they even had not been on display in public.
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Thank you in advance for your help!
This Petition has been issued on October 20. 2024, by
Susanne M. Matz
International art-curator
Anklamer Str. 53
10115 Berlin
+4915164016105
____________________________
IDAN MEIR
human touch
Einladung zur Vernissage: Samstag, 18.12.2021 (15 – 19 Uhr)
East Side Mall (Warschauerstr.) im EG-W (neben/ggü Thalia)
Ausstellungszeitraum: 18.12.2021 – 08.01.2022
(täglich 11 – 19 Uhr / ausser So)
INFOS HIER
Artists
IDAN MEIR | Exhibition | Paintings
LI CHAO | Paintings
OSAMA RYTAMI | Exhibition | Paintings
MO SKITO | Exhibition | Paintings
MICHAEL ST AMAND | Paintings
MANFRED DÖRNER | Paintings | Exhibition
NIAMH CUNNINGHAM | Paintings
HUILI & LI JIARUI | Paintings
LI XINMO | Paintings | Exhibition
ZHEN GUO | Paintings
HUANG MIN | Paintings
CHARLIE DUTTON | Paintings
FRANCESCA MITTERRAND | Paintings
THE GAO BROTHERS | Performance | Sculptures
MA DEFAN | Performance | Sculptures
MUNKH | Sculptures
KANJO TAKE | Videos
PIERRE ALIVON | Photographs
WERNER BAUER | Photographs
MICA KÜHN | Photographs
CHENGJING LIU | Photographs
JOYCE LIU | Photographs
BEING | Performance
TAMI XIANG | Performance
CHEYENNE PEI | Photographs
GREGORIO SORAVITO | Photographs
SHAN HE | Photographs
MICHELE TARDIVO | Photographs
EINA LEM | Photographs