A number of prominent sports figures including Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and Andy Murray, have demanded the release of their peer, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who disappeared several weeks ago after accusing China's former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.
Williams, Osaka and a multitude of human rights activists, dissidents and other supporters have spoken out against the Chinese government's actions against Shuai. Williams expressed her shock at the news, posting on Twitter, "This must be investigated and we must not stay silent." Djokovic stated to press, "There's not much more to say than to hope that she's O.K. and it's just terrible." Supporters have attempted to spread awareness across social media, demanding Peng's release by sharing the hashtag #WhereisPengShuai.
Peng disappeared in early November after accusing Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in a post on Weibo, China's most popular social media app. The post was removed ten minutes after it was published, and Peng's family and friends have not heard from her since. Weibo users had already taken screenshots, and those continue to circulate. However, Peng Shuai has been censored from state media and the internet in China.
In recent days, Chinese state news outlet CGTN released an email addressed to Women's Tennis Association (WTA), supposedly from Peng. The email, which begins, "Hello everyone this is Peng Shuai," claims Peng is neither unsafe nor missing, and the claims against Zhang are false.
The authenticity of the email is highly questionable. Aside from the fact that it is addressed to everyone and not WTA head Steve Simon, it's full of awkward language and the image of the email released by CGTN contains a text cursor, suggesting that the screenshot was taken as the message was being written. In response to the email, Simon released a statement reading, "I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her." He went on to say, "The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe. I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communication, to no avail."
Conversely, the International Olympics Committee stated, "We have seen the latest reports and are encouraged by assurances that she is safe," a response that has been met with outrage from the general public, with calls to boycott the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics -- previously motivated by the Chinese government's human rights abuses -- intensifying.
Sexual assault and harassment in China is not an issue that is often properly addressed under the Chinese Communist Party-ruled government. Prominent figures, including lawyer and #MeToo activist Sophia Huang Xueqin was detained earlier this year. Authorities have not provided an official reason as to why. The state's tendency to "disappear" those who openly criticize authority figures and government officials has been well-documented over the years. The number of cases similar to Peng Shuai and Huang are in the thousands.
Source: Twitter, SkySports, WTA
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