Peng Shuai: Chinese tennis star accuses Zhang Gaoli, former top Communist Party leader, of sexual assault

"I couldn't describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I asked myself am I still a human? I feel like a walking corpse. Every day I was acting, which person is the real me?"CNN couldn't attain Zhang, who served on the ruling Communist Party's seven individual Politburo Standing Committee, the nation's supreme management physique, from 2012 to 2017 throughout Chinese chief Xi Jinping's first time period in energy. He retired as vice premier in 2018. In China, top leaders of Zhang's standing stay unapproachable and personal even after retirement, which makes reaching him to remark for this story just about not possible.

"We must realize how remarkable it is for Peng Shuai to choose to speak out. Few people would have the courage to do that, because it could come at the expense of the safety of yourself and your family," stated Lv Pin, a outstanding Chinese feminist now primarily based in New York.

Blanket censorship

As Peng's allegations made waves online, censorship kicked in with a pace and ferocity unseen in any of the nation's earlier #MeToo instances.Her prolonged put up, printed shortly after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, was deleted in beneath half-hour. Screenshots of it had initially circulated broadly throughout social media and in personal discussion groups, however quickly they have been censored too, together with different posts discussing the case. Peng's verified account, which has greater than half 1,000,000 followers, stays on Weibo as of Wednesday night. But it has been blocked from searches. All remark sections beneath her earlier posts have been shut down too.

In an indication of the unprecedented degree of censorship, even a Weibo dialogue web page about tennis was closed for feedback. And obscure references to the scandal have been eliminated, too.On Douban, China's IMDB-like film overview web site, the web page of Korean romance TV present "Prime Minister and I" was censored, after customers mentioned Peng's case in its overview part.

That scandal was allowed to achieve large traction on social media, dominating top trending matters on Weibo for days, whereas state media amplified the accusation, censuring Wu for his ethical decadence.

The allegations

Peng claimed in her put up that she first had intercourse with Zhang greater than 10 years in the past, when Zhang served because the Communist Party boss of Tianjin, a coastal metropolis to the southeast of Beijing. But Zhang broke off contact after he was promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee in Beijing, in accordance with the put up.It didn't clarify the circumstances of their first sexual engagement.Then, one morning about three years in the past after Zhang had retired, the put up alleges Peng was immediately invited by him to play tennis in Beijing. Afterward, she writes, Zhang and his spouse introduced Peng again to their residence, the place Peng claimed she was pressured into having intercourse with Zhang."That afternoon I did not agree at first and was crying all the time," Peng wrote. After dinner with Zhang and his spouse, and following a lot persuading from Zhang, she relented, in accordance with the put up.Like Zhang, his spouse Kang Jie stays carefully shielded by the federal government and couldn't be reached for remark."I was panicking and I was scared, and I agreed to it with my feelings for you from seven years ago," the put up stated.

Peng stated she then entered an extramarital relationship with Zhang, however she suffered "too much injustice and insults." She claimed they obtained right into a quarrel final week, and Zhang refused to satisfy her and disappeared.Peng stated she didn't have proof to show her allegations, and claimed Zhang was at all times apprehensive that she would document issues."I know that for someone of your eminence, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, you said you were not afraid. But even if it's just me, like an egg hitting the stone, a moth flying into flames, courting self-destruction, I would tell the truth about us," she wrote. CNN can not independently confirm Peng's claims.Information surrounding the private lives of senior Chinese officers is often shrouded in secrecy, with even some of essentially the most primary biographical info thought of taboo. Under Xi, nonetheless, the supposed extravagances and misdeeds of some disgraced officers caught up in his anti-corruption marketing campaign have been made broadly public, offering a uncommon window into their personal lives.

'She's a very excellent lady'

Despite the censorship, many social media customers have voiced help for Peng, typically in obscure phrases. "How desperate and helpless she must have been," posted a well-liked tennis blogger with greater than 200,000 followers. "Hope you stay safe.""I don't know what else can I say apart from praying she'll be safe. We've accepted by default that this incident will disappear form the internet -- the post will disappear, the account will disappear, justice will disappear; only the pain that torments the victim will not disappear, only the fear of the next victim will not disappear," stated one other remark.Both posts have been later deleted.

Sexual assault survivors have lengthy confronted robust stigma and resistance in China, on the official degree in addition to among the many public. But in recent times, a rising quantity of ladies have rallied round victims who spoke out, because the #MeToo motion gathered steam.Lv, the feminist activist in New York, stated Peng sparked vast public sympathy partially as a result of how profitable she has been in her skilled profession.In 2013, Peng received the doubles championship at Wimbledon together with her associate from Taiwan. In 2014, the duo received the French Open double titles. Peng was additionally a former US Open semi-finalist. "She is a truly outstanding woman, the glory of China, a world famous person. Even women like her would be trapped in a predicament like this," Lv stated. "This shows just how many hurdles Chinese women have to leap over on their pursuit for equality and independence.""Everybody is worried about her. Nobody knows what would happen to her. I think public attention to the case is her biggest protection," she added.