Peng Shuai Disappearance Case: European Union Demands Verifiable Proof Of Safety

The Peng Shuai disappearance case shows no signs of resolving despite the athlete's multiple appearances. European Union has urged the Chinese authorities for a transparent investigation on the sexual assault allegation and verifiable evidence to prove that Peng Shuai is safe. This concern comes after the Women's Tennis Organisation and multiple associations raised questions on the video chat proof by the International Olympics Committee that insisted that Chinese tennis player is fine

Peng had posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, about facing sexual assault and forceful physical relationship at hands of former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli, between 2013 and 2018, on November 2. The 35-year-old's post was immediately censored and removed by the Chinese authority and since then she went missing. After a few days of global outrage on the issue, occasional pictures of her were released by state-run media houses stating that she was safe and just wanted to stay away from the public eye for the moment.

The International Olympics Committee put out a statement last week saying that the President of the committee Thomas Bach chatted with the Chinese player for 30-minutes and she said that she is safe and spending some time with her family and friends. However, the IOC did not explain how the call was organised with the player, given the difficulties other organisations had in trying to contact her.

Although, the IOC official Dick Pound, who is the chairman of Olympic Broadcasting Services, dismissed the criticisms about the interaction and called it 'silly'.

The issue did not stop here as individuals and associations raised questions on this piece of proof. The Sputnik News Agency of Russia on November 30 reported a statement by the External Action Service spokesperson, who said, "The EU joins growing international demands, including by sports professionals, for assurances that she is free and not under threat. In this spirit, the EU requests the Chinese government provide verifiable proof of Peng Shuai's safety, well-being and whereabouts. The EU urges the Chinese authorities to conduct a full, fair and transparent investigation into her allegations of sexual assault."

On November 18, the editor of Global Times had posted a picture of an email from Peng Shuai to WTA on the former changing her statement about the sexual assault. Individuals immediately pointed out the awkward language used in the email and the visibility of the cursor on the image. Making it hard to believe if the mail was drafted by the player herself or under coercion.

On November 19 and 20, photos and videos of Peng Shuai suddenly appeared. She was seen at the home, a restaurant and a tennis event. However, all these materials kept coming from the state-run media houses in China.

Tennis players including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic and Nicholas Mahut raised their voices in support of the former number one doubles player who won world titles in French Open in 2014 and Wimbledon in 2013, along with Taiwanese tennis player Hsieh Su-wei.

Suggested Reading:

Missing Or Safe? Peng Shuai Connects With Olympic Committee Head Over Video Call

Peng Shuai Case: WTA Head Threatens To Pull Out Of China Regardless Of Loss

Is Chinese Tennis Star Peng Shuai Missing? Here’s What We Know

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