China: International outcry over disappearance of tennis player denouncing rape - WTA Ultimatum
Ultimatum of the Women's Tennis Federation of China on the disappearance of Swai Peng after she was reported for rape. #WhereIsPengShuai Athletes from around the world ask China.
The thriller continues with the disappearance of Chinese tennis player Suai Peng after she was accused of rape by a former vice president of the Chinese government.
The case has sparked international outcry, with the Women's Tennis Federation (WTA) issuing an ultimatum to China and threatening to block it. At the same time, the sports world shows its anxiety through social media with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.
Ultimatum from the Women's Tennis Federation in China
The WTA warns that it will suspend all cooperation with China as it is ready to expel it from all tournaments unless there are adequate responses to Peng Shui's allegations of sexual assault by the former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister, the chief executive said. of the WTA, Steve Simon in the American media.
"We are at a crossroads in our relations with China. It is a pity because we have done great things there and the country brings out new talented athletes. But there are too many times in our world where we let business, politics, money dictate what When we have a person who has the courage to make these complaints and we can not support it and seek justice, we must make decisions that have to do with what is right. "tournament in China and to handle all the procedures that will arise," said Simon, who stressed that efforts have been made to contact Peng's relatives, but no one comes out to speak.
The UN is asking for proof that the tennis player is fine
The United Nations has demanded evidence that Chinese tennis champion Peng Shui, who went missing in early November after accusing a former high-ranking official of forcing her to have sex, is OK.
"It would be important to have proof of where he is and to know if he is OK. "And we urge that all allegations of sexual assault be carried out in a transparent manner," said Liz Trossell, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during a press conference in Geneva.
"We demand an investigation with all transparency. "This should be done with all allegations of sexual assault," she said, adding that "sexual assaults exist in all societies."
Peng Shui, 35, accused former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli - who was one of China's seven most powerful politicians from 2013 to 2018 - on social media that he forced her to have sex three years ago and then he made her his mistress.
"We want to emphasize that it is important to know where he is and in what condition he is and to know how he is doing," Trossel repeated.
For the past few days, world tennis personalities have been expressing their concern about Peng Shui on Twitter, with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.
Chinese censorship has erased the slightest trace of the tennis player's accusations on social media. The post that was originally made on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) was quickly deleted and the French Agency could not verify its authenticity.
Since then, the tennis player has not communicated directly or appeared in public.
The chronicle of the case
On Chinese social media Weibo, Swai, who won the Roland Garros double in 2014, claimed on Tuesday (2/11) that three years ago, she had forced sexual intercourse with former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli. at the house of the politician, located in the city of Tianjin.
However, this testimony was immediately deleted from the Chinese censorship, as well as the reactions to the issue, which spread like wildfire on the internet, as searches for both Swai and Gaoli on Weibo are blocked in the Baidu search engine.
It is worth noting that since 2018 in China and on the occasion of the MeToo movement, there have been several cases of sexual harassment by music and television stars, but none related to politics.
Gaoli, who is 75 years old, was until the beginning of 2018 a permanent member of the political bureau of the Chinese Communist Party and therefore one of the seven most powerful men in China.
"I was very scared. That afternoon I refused at first. I kept crying. "Out of fear and confusion, I gave in and we had sex," Swai, 35, wrote in her message, revealing that Zhang's wife knew what was happening right outside the room.
Swai added that until last week she remained Gaoli's mistress, while clarifying that she has no evidence to prove her allegations, stressing in a way addressed to Gaoli: "They are always afraid that I would hide a tape recorder. You will definitely deny it or you will get to the point of attacking me. "
