US and UN demand proof of loss of well-being of Chinese tennis stars | Women’s Rights News

The UN and the US on Friday called for evidence of Peng Shua’s whereabouts, amid growing concerns about the well-being of Chinese tennis.

The player has not been seen in public since the Chinese prime minister allegedly sexually assaulted him on November 2.

Tennis stars, sports organizations, governments and human rights defenders have spoken out in support of what Zhang Gaoli said in a 35-year-old Weibo post that said he was forced to have sex.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration of President Joe Biden wanted China to “provide independent and verifiable evidence” of Peng’s whereabouts and expressed “deep concern” about the former world doubles player.

The United Nations has stressed the need for a fully transparent investigation into Peng’s claims.

“It would be important to have evidence of his whereabouts and well-being,” Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the UN Office of Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva. “We call for a full-blown investigation into the allegation of his sexual assault.”

Tennis players such as Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, the best male players in the world, have expressed their support for the Chinese athlete.

“This is horrible. I mean, one person is missing, ”Djokovic said at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. “The entire tennis community needs to support him and his family and make sure he is safe and secure.”

Djokovic also backed the statement from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) that it was ready to cut off the business relationship it had gained with Peng with China.

“If you have tournaments on Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a bit strange, so I understand why the WTA has taken such a stance,” Djokovic said.

Former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion Zhang, who retired in 2018, complained that he was “forced” to have sex during a long-term relationship.

China has been silenced by the tennis star and on Friday the Foreign Ministry maintained its line, unaware of the controversy surrounding the player.

Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters that the issue “is not a diplomatic question and I am not aware of the situation.”

‘Zero tolerance’

Peng’s post was quickly deleted from his verified account on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, although many screenshots of the allegation were shared. Since then, the discussion of the lawsuit has been removed, as this week CGTN state broadcaster shared an alleged email from Peng telling WTA chief Steve Simon that he was “resting” at home and that the allegation of the attack was “not true”.

Simon questioned the authenticity of the email, saying on Friday that the WTA was at a “crossroads” with China and that Peng was making every effort to contact and talk directly.

Peng, who represented China at the Olympics in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, is not the first Chinese to suddenly disappear from a point of view in unclear situations.

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, the world’s largest e-commerce company, disappeared in October 2020 after being criticized at a conference by government regulators. Shortly afterwards, Ant Group, the group’s online payment unit, withdrew a significant sale of shares to the authorities at the last minute. Ma reappeared in a video in January this year, but did not mention her disappearance.

Fan Bingbing, a prolific Hollywood social media user, disappeared in 2018 for three months. They were later held in house arrest while they investigated tax fraud.

Peng’s claims brought the #MeToo movement to the top levels of the Chinese government’s Communist Party for the first time.

“The Chinese government has systematically silenced the country’s #MeToo movement,” said Chinese researcher Doriane Four of Amnesty International.

“Considering that he has a zero tolerance approach to criticism, it is very worrying that Peng Shuai seems to be missing,” he said.