Where is Peng Shuai? The “disappearance” of the Chinese tennis player after complaint of sexual abuse raises fears

“Where is Peng Shuai?” Concern for the tennis player china It grows internationally after two weeks “disappeared” after accusing a former vice president of her country of sexual abuse, while the state press disseminates an alleged letter from her saying that she is “fine.”

The lack of news about her whereabouts has caused the president of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Steve Simon, to express today his “growing concern” for the player’s safety, especially after the state television CGTN surprised with an alleged letter from her in which she claimed to be “resting.”

“I am not missing. The allegations of sexual abuse are not true. I’m resting at home and I’m fine ”, says the letter, addressed to Simon himself, which did not give credence to Peng who would have written those lines.

Simon emphasized that Peng had shown “great courage in reporting”, and that both the WTA and the rest of the world need “verifiable proof” that she is safe.

“I have tried to contact her several times, without success”, clarified the manager, who also asked to be allowed to speak “freely, without coercion or intimidation of any kind.”

“Your complaint must be respected and investigated with total transparency and without censorship”, added.

The WTA has also urged that the accusation be treated “seriously”, a claim that other players of the guild have also subscribed such as Naomi Osaka, Chris Evert or Alizé Cornet, who posted on Twitter the entry “We are not silent” under the label #WhereIsPengShuai (“Where is Peng Shuai”).

“YOU TOOK ME HOME AND FORCED ME”

The case Peng dates back to November 2, when the player, 35 years old and number 189 in the world, affirmed through her social network profile Weibo that Zhang Gaoli, 75 and vice president between 2012 and 2017, raped her.

“You took me to your house and forced me”, narrates Peng in his post, which volatilized about twenty minutes after its publication.

At the entrance, Peng explains that she did have an extramarital affair with Zhang -according to him, the politician’s wife knew it- but that he stopped contacting her once he began to climb positions within the Communist Party of China (CCP).

Three years ago, Zhang, who had already retired, returned to his life and invited her to his house where, the tennis player denounces, he raped her: “Why did you have to come back and force me to have sex with you? That day I did not consent ”, assures.

In her long story, the tennis player mixes feelings of guilt (“I was a bad, very bad girl”), rejection (“I cried all afternoon that day”), despair (“I am like a walking dead man who pretends every day”) , resentment (she states that, when they were lovers, he assured her that he could not divorce because of his position) and fear (“I know that I am digging my own grave, but I am going to tell the whole truth”).

Zhang he feared that she would record him during the days when they had an ‘affair’, according to the tennis player, although he adds that it was “impossible” to collect any evidence against him.

Any reference to Peng it is now non-existent in the country’s official media, except for today’s letter, published through the CGTN account on Twitter, a network censored in the country.

Far is 2012, when the player, who came to lead the world doubles rankings and won at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, was described by the same chain as “the great hope of women’s tennis” in the country.

THE CHINESE #METOO, AT A CROSSROADS

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, which sparked scandals such as the Weinstein case in the United States, some Chinese women began to report alleged sexual harassment by academics, journalists, businessmen, celebrities and even religious leaders.

In 2018, a university professor was dismissed after being accused of this crime, a subject still taboo in the Asian giant.

However, the movement received a blow in September this year when a court ruled against a whistleblower in a media case of harassment against a well-known presenter on state television CCTV, citing lack of evidence.

Messages with similar complaints have been censored on networks such as Weibo and Douban, and some netizens suspect that the Government sees the movement as a threat for fear that the accusations will be extended to its officials.

“I am sure that public opinion strongly condemns sexual abuse when this news appears. However, there are women who still opt for silence for sheer survival, ”lawyer Mao Hengfeng, who specializes in women’s rights, explains to Efe.

Mao claims that the Chinese media “selectively report” on these cases “according to the status” of the men involved and their jobs, or whether they are part of the government.

“If they have a high position or if they are influential, the media do not dare to publish it”, He asserts.

And despite the fact that the Chinese Civil Code – approved last year – broadens the definition of sexual harassment or that the Executive approved this September new guidelines that included gender issues, the lawyer does not believe that the authorities are doing “enough” to defend the rights of the female population.

“More must be done,” claims Mao, for whom the government’s anti-corruption campaigns have made “some officials now moderate more.”