Osaka said as part of a Twitter statement, “Censorship is not okay at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and his family are safe and well. I am shocked by the current situation and I am sending love.” ” on Tuesday.
He included the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.
Peng, one of China’s most recognizable tennis stars, accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing them to have sex at his home three years ago, as screenshots of a social media post deleted on November 2 is according to.
Peng’s post on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo was removed within 30 minutes of publication, with Chinese censors moving quickly to erase any mention of the allegations online.
Peng has not been seen in public since the allegation and his whereabouts have not been publicly disclosed. Her Weibo account, which has over half a million followers, is still blocked from searchers on the platform.
An increasing number of international athletes have expressed concern for Peng. Tennis legend and 39-time Grand Slam championship winner Billie Jean King said on Twitter: “Hope Peng Shuai is found safe and his allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”
At the same time, former world number 1 Chris Evert said, “These allegations are very disturbing.”
She said in a post on Twitter, “I’ve known Peng since I was 14.
Simon said, “Peng Shuai and all the women deserve to be heard, not censored.” “A former Chinese leader’s allegation about his conduct of sexual harassment must be taken extremely seriously.”
The ATP Tour, the world’s top-tier tennis tour for men, said in a statement on Monday, “It was encouraged by the recent assurances received by the WTA that (Peng) is safe and is responsible for and is monitoring the situation closely.” Will continue.” No further details were provided about the veracity of the assurances – or who provided them.
“Separately, we stand in full support of the WTA’s call for a full, fair and transparent investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment against Peng Shuai,” ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi said in the statement.
Zhang, 75, served on the ruling Communist Party’s seven-member Politburo Standing Committee – the country’s highest leadership body – from 2012 to 2017 during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first term in power. He retired as Vice Premier in 2018.
In the post, which reads as an open letter to Zhang, the 35-year-old tennis star alleges a relationship lasted at least 10 years, an intermittent period.
“Why did you have to come back to me, take me to your house to force me to have sex with you?” she wrote.
Peng said she did not have evidence to substantiate her allegations, and claimed that Zhang was always worried that she would record things.
Peng wrote, “I can’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times have I asked myself if I’m still a human? I feel like a moving corpse.”
CNN could not independently verify Peng’s post, and has reached out to both him and China’s State Council for comment, which handles press inquiries for the central government.
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