The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and rights groups have questioned an email that China’s state media is attributed to the missing Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai.
The “Hello, Peng Shuai” email released on November 17 by the Communist Party-controlled media, not Peng himself, failed to alleviate concerns about Peng’s safety and whereabouts. An email written in Peng’s voice claims she is not missing or dangerous.
This email will be sent after Peng has filed a sexual assault allegation against a former Communist Party executive against a currently deleted Weibo account. In those comments, Peng told the accused, “I know you deny it and you will come back to me.”
“The statement released today by the Chinese national media on Peng Shuai only raises my concerns about her safety and whereabouts,” said WTA Chairman Steve Simon. Said in a statement on Wednesday..
35-year-old Grand Slam Doubles Champion Penn, in a Twitter-like post earlier this month, claimed that former Chinese deputy prime minister Zhang Gaoli, 75, had forced sex before she became a mistress. Her long post was deleted within an hour and the player was no longer published.
China Global Television Network (CGTN), the mouthpiece of the Chinese administration, has been released On twitter Peng claims to be an email to the WTA chairman withdrawing allegations of sexual assault against a 75-year-old retired official: “… the allegations of sexual assault are not true.”
“I’m resting at home, but everything is fine,” the email says.
In his reply, the chairman said he was “difficult” to believe in the content of the email after numerous attempts to reach Peng via known routes failed. “The WTA and other countries need independent, verifiable evidence that she is safe,” Simon said.
“Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely without coercion or intimidation from any source. Her allegations of sexual assault are respected, fully transparent and uncensored. Must be done. “
In comments on social media, many observers also question the authenticity of emails. Some people have found an input cursor in the screenshot that looks like it appears on line 3 of an email shared by CGTN.
Did she (you) forget to press “send”? You can see the cursor. pic.twitter.com/GGCAXmsOTh
— KB (@sorrykb) November 17, 2021
according to Media release According to the US-based rights group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), the email statement “should not be taken at face value.”
“The Chinese government has a long history of arbitrarily detaining those involved in controversial cases, managing their ability to speak freely, and forcing them to speak,” said research and advocacy coordinator William.・ Knee said.
As the overseas division of China’s national broadcaster CCTV, CGTN is one of the many promotional tools used by the ruling Communist Party to shake foreign opinions. Ofcom, a British television regulator, has been repeatedly sanctioned for broadcasting compulsory confessions by British businessmen, Hong Kong bookstores, and employees of the British Consulate in Hong Kong.
“Sports-minded people should keep speaking until the world can see for themselves that Peng Shuai is free and unharmed,” Knee said.
The disappearance of Peng has previously surprised the world of tennis.
The WTA on November 14 called for a “complete, fair and transparent” investigation and demanded that Peng not be censored. ATP President Andrea Gaudenji, Men’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka also expressed concern about her safety.
.. #WhereIsPengShuai pic.twitter.com/51qcyDtzLq
— Naomi Osaka Naomi Osaka (@naomiosaka) November 16, 2021
Peng is a former No. 1 player in women’s doubles and a two-time Grand Slam champion at the 2013 Wimbledon and 2014 French Open, alongside Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.
Her accusations are the first accusations against prominent Chinese government officials since the #MeToo movement was held in China in 2018. The movement was significantly subdued by authorities later that year.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said he was unaware of Peng’s situation in response to questions at a daily press conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Rita Lee is a reporter for The Epoch Times, focusing on topics related to China. She started writing the Chinese version in 2018.