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Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai said she had never accused anyone of rape and that her words were misinterpreted. Last November, the athlete made a post on the Weibo social network in which she pointed out the country’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Zhang Gaoli, of sexually assaulting her. His complaint caused alarm in the international sports community, which still raised concerns about possible coercion by the Chinese authorities.
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai is once again trying to reduce international attention after her complaints about alleged sexual abuse.
In a video interview with the Singapore daily ‘Lianhe Zaobao’, which she claims was recorded on Sunday December 19, Shuai claims that she has never mentioned having suffered sexual abuse.
“First of all, I want to emphasize something important. I have never said or written that someone sexually assaulted me. I have to emphasize this point very clearly, ”Peng said.
中国 网球 女将 彭 帅 在 上海 受访 时 表示 , 自己 目前 一直 住 在 北京 的 家里 , 前天 到 上海 观看 滑雪 赛。 被 询问 出入 是否 自由 、 是否 有人 监视 她 时 , 她 反问 : “为什么 会 有人 监视 呢 : :” 为什么 会 有人 监视 呢 : : “都很 自由。 “https://t.co/kZOxszzg9q
– 联合早报 Lianhe Zaobao (@zaobaosg) December 20, 2021
The tennis player added that her publication on Weibo, a social network similar to Twitter, was a “private matter” about which there are “misunderstandings.” However, it did not clarify whether she wrote the information or whether her account was hacked.
On November 2, a message posted briefly on the player’s official account asserted that former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, one of the most powerful men in the country, forced her to have sex and made her his lover.
The tennis player’s message was quickly erased, but it was too late because many people had taken screenshots. These images were also censored in China and remain so until now.
Shuai’s safety concerns
After the complaint and for about three weeks, Shuai’s whereabouts were unknown, which increased the concern of the international community that has since demanded for his safety.
Amid consternation, images of the Chinese tennis star reappeared, attempting to quell concerns voiced from abroad.
On November 21, a video was published in which Shuai participates in a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing. And a day before, other images appeared that showed her calmly chatting with friends in a restaurant, apparently also recorded that weekend.
And now, in her recent interview, the former Wimbledon champion tried to re-convince herself that there is no cause for concern. He maintained that he has spent most of his time at his home in Beijing. “Why should there be someone watching me? I have been home at liberty,” she said after being questioned.
The WTA notes that Shuai’s statements do not address her concerns
Despite the information published after the accusation of sexual violence, international sports associations and human rights organizations fear that Shuai is not acting in complete freedom and is being pressured.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) made it clear on December 20 that the last appearance of the three-time Olympian does not respond to concerns for her well-being.
“We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into his allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that generated our initial concern,” the WTA said in a statement.
During her interview with the Singaporean press, Shuai also confirmed her authorship in a letter addressed to the president of the Women’s Tennis Association, Steve Simon, picked up by Chinese state television in mid-November.
“I wrote the Chinese version and, since my level of English is not very good, ‘CGTN’ published a translated version with the same meaning as the original,” he said.
However, on December 1, the WTA announced that it is suspending the tournaments it holds in Chinese territory, expressing censorship and uncertainty around this case, in a country under a government known for its history of human rights violations.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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