Chinese court rejects appeal in landmark #MeToo case

BEIJING: A Chinese court rejected an appeal in a landmark sexual harassment case on Wednesday, dealing a blow to the country's fledgling #MeToo movement.

Zhou Xiaoxuan stepped forward in 2018 to accuse popular state TV host Zhu Jun of forcibly kissing and groping her during her 2014 internship at the broadcaster.

Her case inspired many others to share their experiences of sexual assault publicly and sparked a social media storm.

But a court ruled last year that there was not enough evidence to prove Zhou was sexually harassed by Zhu, and her appeal was rejected Wednesday on similar grounds.

In a statement, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said it “will uphold the previous judgment”.

Police cordoned off long stretches of pavement outside the court ahead of Zhou arrival in the afternoon, with officers logging the details of passers-by.

“The process of the first trial was a deep secondary injury,” she told AFP ahead of her hearing.

Zhou, 29, told AFP before returning to court that her legal team would focus on getting access to more evidence, such as police transcripts of interviews with her parents after she reported the incident – which were not included in the earlier trial – and surveillance footage.

Zhu was absent from earlier proceedings, she added, and while he had sued her for defamation, she was not aware of further developments in that case.

A small group of supporters came to wish Zhou luck on Wednesday, holding up signs that said “#MeToo” and balloons spelling out ‘All the best' in Chinese.

“Four years have passed, and the most important thing is that we have raised this question: When a woman encounters sexual harassment in a closed space, is her pain worth paying attention to?” Zhou said to supporters.

Speaking after the hearing, she said “victory is not that important to me... I accept this outcome.”

She added that it was meaningful that she could give her statement before the court, thanking supporters.

Zhou, also known by the pseudonym Xianzi, originally sued for a public apology from Zhu and 50,000 yuan (US$7,400) in damages.

Her first hearing in December 2020 drew a large crowd and a significant police presence in Beijing.