Beijing court rules against woman in China #MeToo case

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Beijing court rules against woman in China #MeToo case

By HUIZHONG WU and SAM McNEIL
September 14, 2021

BEIJING (AP) — A Beijing court ruled against a Chinese woman on Tuesday in a #MeToo case that wound through the courts for three years, in a blow to the tamped-down movement whose legacy remains uncertain.

The Haidian People’s Court said in a judgment released late Tuesday night that Zhou Xiaoxuan, who had become the face of the country’s #MeToo movement, did not meet the burden of proof in claiming that Zhu Jun, her superior at her place of work, sexually harassed her.

Zhou was a former intern at Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and went public with accusations against Zhu, a prominent CCTV host, in 2018 as dozens of women began to speak out about their past experiences of being harassed or assaulted. Since then, the movement has been largely shut down by authorities as activists found their online posts censored and faced pressure from authorities when trying to hold protests, but Zhou has continued to speak out.

“I’m very thankful for everyone, whether we win or lose, I’m very honored to have experienced these last three years,” Zhou said to reporters outside the court Tuesday afternoon, as unidentified men and women came up and tried to push her along.

One woman yelled “pandemic safety,” trying to prevent Zhou from speaking, while a man questioned whether it was appropriate for her to speak alone.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-beijing-metoo-4ff6dc9bbd90be2ddd9b0bb275ca1cb9


Zhou Xiaoxuan, left, a former intern at China's state broadcaster CCTV, arrives to attend a court session at a courthouse in Beijing, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. Zhou became the face of the country's MeToo movement after going public with accusations against a prominent CCTV host in 2018. Since then, even as the movement was shut down by authorities, Zhou has continued to speak out. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

[niyad]

1. and the WAR ON WOMEN continues apace.. Thank you for posting this. It is depressing,

but unsurprising. "Speaking alone". One would think we were in the 17th century.