Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accused a former politician of sexual assault, but her voice was quickly silenced as her social media account was deleted after she argued her case on Tuesday.
Chinese authorities have cracked down on all online discussions of sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, a former deputy prime minister and member of the party’s Politburo Standing Committee, who Peng says forced her into dating sexual despite repeated refusals three years ago.
Peng wrote the allegations in a social media post Tuesday night on his verified Weibo account, one of China’s major social media platforms. Peng, 35, wrote that Zhang, now 75, and his wife played tennis in Beijing about three years ago and then took Peng to a room in his home where the assault took place.
“I was so scared that afternoon, never thinking this thing could happen,” the post said.
The message was deleted quickly, and a search for Peng’s account on the platform now returns no results. The charge is the first against a senior government official since the #MeToo movement began in China in 2018. The #MeToo movement was quickly eradicated by the Communist Party that same year and suppressed civil society.
The Communist Party continues to shut down assault cases such as Peng’s, because activists’ online posts have been censored or removed. China’s response to Peng’s case and the #MeToo movement illustrates its determination to control public opinion and restrict social movements it may not be able to control.
The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of Peng’s social media post as it was deleted, although screenshots of the post have circulated on Twitter, which is blocked in China. Neither Peng nor Zhang could be reached for comment.
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Michel Euler
Peng is a former leading doubles player, winning 23 tour-level doubles titles including the Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.
Screenshots of the post circulated on Twitter, which is blocked in China, re-energizing the platform’s discussion of gender relations in China, where men dominate the highest levels of politics and business.
Rumors and reports abroad about the relationship between young women and senior officials have long been staples of Chinese politics, starting with the founder of the People’s Republic, Mao Zedong.
Cases brought against current and former officials of the party leader and of President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign also frequently include accusations of “lascivious lifestyles,” as well as bribes. and abuse of position.
Zhang retired in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public life, as usual with former Chinese officials.
Peng has not played at the highest level since the Qatar Open in February 2020. In singles, she reached the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open and the round of 16 of the Australian Open which has followed, but did not at any time go beyond the third round. major since Wimbledon in 2017.
Zhou Xiaoxuan, a former intern with Chinese public broadcaster CCTV, was pushed around by passers-by in September as she went to court in a case against a well-known presenter.