BEIJING — Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, famous for making provocative satirical sculptures of former leader Mao Zedong , was tried Monday on accusations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs,” his wife and a rights group said. Gao, 69, 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 closed-door, one-