Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai is missing after she accused a former top Chinese government official of sexual assaults.
PENG Shuai the former No. 1 ranked player in women's doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014 is missing and her fellow players and those around her are fearing for her safety.
Prior to her unexplained disappearance, the tennis player made headlines following her accusations that a former top Chinese government official had sexually assaulted her.
In the Chinese social media site Weibo, Peng disclosed on November 2 that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had "forced" her into sex during a long-term on-off relationship.
A public sexual assault allegation against a senior Chinese official is virtually unheard of in a country where officials guard their personal lives closely.
The post was not visible on Peng’s Weibo account on Wednesday and The Washington Post was not able to confirm its authenticity.
Signs of vigorous online censorship were evident, including a block on Weibo searches for Peng’s account and the suspension of comments on her other posts.
The claims were quickly scrubbed from the Twitter-like platform and she has not been seen since, drawing mounting concern over her wellbeing.
Just a day after her posts, Chinese state-run media CGTN shared a screenshot of an email Peng had allegedly sent WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon, in which she wrote:
“The news… including the allegation of sexual assault, is not true. I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine.”
This email sent by Peng though drew curiosity and doubt from her followers.
In response, WTA's Simon said in his Sunday statement that "Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored.
Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness. Women around the world are finding their voices so injustices can be corrected."
Chinese officials have said nothing publicly since the accusations surface about two weeks ago.
Feminist activists hailed Peng’s decision to publicly accuse a senior official as an important moment for the country’s #MeToo movement, and a sign that Chinese women were no longer accepting sexist behavior that was previously seen as the norm.
Tags: #sports #MeToo, #China#missingplayer#PengShuai