Concern over Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s safety deepens after email about sexual violence

In an email, Peng Shuai claims that his previous allegations of sexual abuse “are untrue.”

Beijing, China:

The women’s tennis boss has questioned tennis star Peng Shuai’s alleged email to the Chinese media, saying it “just raises my concerns about her safety.”

WTA chairman Steve Simon said in a statement that he was “hard to believe” that Peng had written an email that had not been heard since he claimed two weeks ago that he had been sexually assaulted by a powerful Chinese politician.

Peng, a former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion, claimed in Weibo like Twitter earlier this month that former deputy prime minister Zhang Gaoli had “forced” him into sex during a long-term on-off relationship.

The allegations were quickly removed on social media and have not been seen since, raising concerns about his well-being.

However, the state-run CGTN posted a screenshot on Twitter of an email Pengin wrote to Simon and other WTA officials.

In an email, Peng claims that his previous allegations of sexual abuse “are untrue,” and says he “rests at home and everything is fine.”

But suspicions quickly emerged about the language used in Peng’s alleged email, which Twitter users noticed had a pointer in the screenshot sent by the CGTN.

Simon said he had trouble believing it to be genuine.

“The statement issued by the Chinese state media today about Peng Shua only raises concerns about his safety and whereabouts,” Simon wrote in a statement.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is considered of him,” he added.

He said he had repeatedly tried to reach him through several means of communication, but to no avail.

He demanded “independent and verifiable evidence that he is safe.”

“Incredible courage”

“Peng Shuai showed incredible courage in describing the accusation of sexual violence by a former senior Chinese government official,” Simon said.

– His allegation of sexual violence must be respected, fully investigated and uncensored.

“Women’s voices should be heard and respected, not censored or dictated.”

China has been silent on growing concern about the tennis star, whose claims were the first time its nascent #MeToo movement has struck the top of the ruling Communist Party.

But Beijing has been accused in the past of using forced confessions from the state media, and British regulators revoked the CGTN’s license for failing to comply with fairness and privacy rules.

William Nee of the China Human Rights Defenders Organization said Peng’s statement “should not be taken at face value.”

“The Chinese government has a long history of arbitrarily detaining people involved in controversial cases, controlling their ability to speak freely and forcing them to make forced statements,” he said in a statement.

Nee demanded that Beijing prove that he had not been arrested.

“State power”

Mareike Ohlberg of the German Marshall Fund wrote on Twitter that these types of messages “are not meant to convince people, but to intimidate and show state power.”

Beijing’s message is clear: “We will tell you that he is well, and who are you to say otherwise?”, He wrote.

Details of Peng’s accusations are still erased from the Chinese Internet.

On November 2, Peng wrote on social media that Zhang – who is 70 – “forced” him into sex and said they had had an on-off relationship for several years.

However, the message seemed to go away quickly, prompting quick accusations from Beijing critics about network censorship.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka said she was “shocked” on Wednesday when Novak Djokovic and many other players said she was deeply concerned about her in recent days.

American player Jessica Pegula tweeted on Thursday hoping the WTA will “continue to show what we stand for as players.”

“I hope more people, not just tennis players, shed light on this deeply worrying situation,” he wrote.

The Chinese National Tennis Association has not responded to AFP’s comments.

(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and has been published from the syndicated feed.)