Overview
- Gao Zhen faced a closed one-day hearing at Sanhe City People’s Court on Monday that ended with no verdict.
- He is charged under China’s 2018 Heroes and Martyrs law with defaming national icons, an offense that carries up to three years in prison.
- Police detained him in August 2024 during a family visit after he moved to New York in 2022.
- Relatives were barred from the hearing, and his wife and seven-year-old son, an American citizen, remain under exit bans.
- Rights groups report he is malnourished and needs treatment for lumbar spine, knee, and eye problems.