Zimbabwean painter Owen Maseko will go to trial later this month in his native country for exhibiting realistic depictions of massacres that took place three decades ago under the regime of Robert Mugabe, who served as prime minister at the time. The artworks — some small, others wall-engulfing murals — depict images of political events that, according to government authorities, are prohibited under current law.

In March, the police shut down Maseko’s exhibit under Section 33 of the Criminal Law and Codification Act, which punishes citizens for undermining the authority of the president. Mugabe has remained in power since 1980, despite international protest over his alleged human-rights violations. While censorship would seem to be taking place, Maseko’s attorney told the Associated Press that "the artist is not charged under censorship laws." Rather, the works have been cited for "obscenity and ethnic bias."

Maskeo told reporters, "The most important thing as an artist is... to be relevant to the society we are living in." And in making the works, Maskeo was also engaging with a long history of similar projects: In the 1814 painting "The Third of May 1808," Goya depicted Spanish soldiers being gunned down by Napoleonic forces. And in his 1868–69 painting "The Execution of Emperor Maximilian," Manet portrayed the Habsburg duke being gunned down by Mexican partisans. In both cases, these landmark works helped earn them fame in their countries. In Maseko's case, it could land him in jail.