China’s leading #MeToo figure Zhou Xiaoxuan lost her appeal in her trial of CCTV host Zhu Jun earlier this week due to a lack of evidence.
The Beijing City No.1 Intermediate People’s Court on Wednesday dismissed the Beijing-based screenwriter’s appeal on the grounds of “insufficient evidence,” the same ruling a Beijing court issued in September.
“The court ruled that the evidence presented by the applicant Zhou was insufficient to prove that Zhu had sexually harassed her and that the appeal could not be upheld,” the Beijing court said in a statement published on Weibo.
Despite the recent decision and the odds against her, Zhou, better known in China as Xianzi, told Portal she still plans to seek a retrial.
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“We will speak to our lawyer and fight for a retrial. There can be basically no chance to restart it. But we also want to tell the justice system that we are making one last try,” Zhou said.
“We have already suffered so many blows and what you can see is that this blow has not overwhelmed Chinese women, has not made people give up their claims and make their demands,” she added.
A small group of supporters greeted Zhou near the courthouse on Wednesday, presented her with flowers and held up signs of support that read, “History and we, the people, are on your side, Xianzi!”
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Zhou accused Zhu of forcibly kissing and groping her in a dressing room in 2014. She was 21 at the time and was working as an intern for the CCTV host’s show.
Zhou publicly accused Zhu and later took the case to court in 2018 to spur the country’s #MeToo movement. Since sexual harassment was not considered a criminal offense in China at the time, Zhou sued Zhu for violating “personal rights,” demanding a public apology and 50,000 yuan (about $7,415) in damages.
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The first hearing of the case took place on December 2, 2020 at the Haidian District Court in Beijing. The court did not render an immediate verdict and the second hearing, scheduled for May 2021, was reportedly called off without any explanation.
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Zhu, then 50 years old, denied all the allegations and filed a countersuit against Zhou for defamation. Her legal battle became a hot topic in China, sparking a widespread crackdown on feminist activism and online discussions about women’s rights.
Zhou eventually became the target of online trolls after garnering massive support on Weibo, with some users accusing her of lying and “collaborating with foreign forces.”
“If I didn’t file the lawsuit myself, I might never know the kind of injustice other victims of sexual abuse would suffer after entering the process [judicial] system,” Zhou says in a video she posted for her followers. “We’re still in an environment where we have to sacrifice our feelings, our pain in exchange for understanding.”
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China’s #MeToo movement gained momentum in 2018 after a student accused her college professor of sexual harassment. One of the most notable cases was the sudden disappearance and reappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai in 2021.
Featured image via 公視新聞網