FILE PHOTO: Tennis – Australian Open – First Spherical – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2020 China’s Peng Shuai in motion through the match in opposition to Japan’s Nao Hibino REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
The top of the Girls’s Tennis Affiliation “stays deeply involved” about Chinese language star Peng Shuai, following her accusations of sexual assault in opposition to a strong politician, a spokeswoman advised AFP on Saturday.
WTA chairman Steve Simon “has reached out to Peng Shuai by way of numerous communication channels. He has despatched her two emails, to which it was clear her responses had been influenced by others,” she mentioned.
“He stays deeply involved that Peng is just not free from censorship or coercion and determined to not re-engage by way of e mail till he was glad her responses had been her personal, and never these of her censors.”
“The WTA stays involved about her capacity to speak freely, overtly, and immediately.”
Peng, a 35-year-old Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion, was not seen for greater than two weeks following her allegations that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli, now in his 70s, compelled her into intercourse throughout a years-long on-off relationship.
Peng’s claims in opposition to Zhang had been the primary time China’s #MeToo motion has touched the best echelons of the ruling Communist Get together.
On Sunday, official photographs of a Beijing tennis match confirmed Peng amongst attendees, and he or she participated the identical day in a video name with Thomas Bach, president of the Worldwide Olympic Committee.
Beijing will host the Winter Olympics in February.
The European Union, the United Nations, the USA and Britain have all referred to as for proof of Peng’s whereabouts and well-being.
China’s overseas ministry has mentioned that “folks ought to cease intentionally and maliciously hyping up” the controversy round Peng.
Final week, a Chinese language state-run media outlet revealed what it mentioned was a screenshot of an e mail by Peng which said that the accusations made by tennis star had been “not true” and that “all the pieces is okay” together with her.
‘Full and clear investigation’
Peng appeared in a 30-minute video name with Bach, which has been roundly criticized since.
The IOC mentioned in a press release that through the name, “Peng Shuai thanked the IOC for its concern about her well-being.”
“She defined that she is secure and effectively, residing at her dwelling in Beijing, however want to have her privateness revered presently,” it mentioned.
However human rights teams and sporting authorities abroad have continued to voice concern about Peng and whether or not native authorities will act on her allegations.
Human Rights Watch slammed the IOC and referred to as for them to elucidate how the video name with Peng had been organized.
“The IOC has vaulted itself from silence about Beijing’s abysmal human rights document to energetic collaboration with Chinese language authorities in undermining freedom of speech and disregarding alleged sexual assault,” mentioned Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The EU additionally expressed its concern to AFP on Wednesday.
“We’ve seen Peng Shuai’s presumed remarks and pictures from her public look. Nevertheless, the stories, each concerning the allegations of abuse and the truth that she had not been seen for 2 weeks, stay very worrying,” the EU spokeswoman, Nabila Massrali, mentioned in a press release to AFP.
“We aren’t able to touch upon the allegations themselves, however we urge a full and clear investigation,” she mentioned.
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