New Delhi: China’s historic sexual assault case against the country’s most famous TV host has been dismissed by a Beijing court as insufficient evidence, Reuters reports.
The case had fueled China’s #MeToo movement and helped create more awareness about women’s rights in China. The plaintiff, Zhou Xiaoshuan, accused Zhu Jun, a well-known presenter on state broadcaster CCTV, of sexual harassment.
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Zhou Xiaoxuan, who is popularly known as Xianzi, accused Zhu of forcibly kissing and locating her when he was her apprentice. In 2014 he asked for a public apology as well as 50,000 yuan ($7,600) in damages.
Jianzi released an online essay in 2018 that spread like wildfire and many women across the country came forward to speak out against their own horrific experiences.
In the same year, she launched a case against Zhu Jun, who has continued to deny all allegations. The Haidian District Court in Beijing issued a brief statement after the hearing on Tuesday saying there was insufficient evidence to back Zhou’s claims of sexual assault by Zhu.
A group of Zhou’s supporters had gathered outside the court on Tuesday night to thank them after the hearing, and she felt exhausted and disappointed.
A Reuters report quoted him as saying, “I don’t know if I still have the courage to last three years, so I don’t know if it’s time to bid farewell.”
However, in a later statement, Zhou said his team would appeal the decision.
“We will certainly appeal because in this case, we didn’t see any key facts, it’s all surveillance video.”
As Zhou was addressing his supporters, a woman was shouting “epidemic protection,” trying to stop Zhou from speaking, the AP reported. While one person questioned whether it was appropriate for him to speak alone.
The report also said that a woman who tried to hold a sign saying “Standing Together” was immediately surrounded by police and the mark was ripped from her hand. The police also asked him for his national identification number.
Zhu Jun filed a separate lawsuit against 28-year-old Jianjie for damaging her reputation and mental well-being.
The dismissal of the case has raised calls for justice for victims of sexual assault and assault in China, where legislation was recently passed that clearly defined sexual assault.
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