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1 year ago
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HONG KONG — Chinese Canadian popular prima Kris Wu was sentenced Friday to 13 years successful situation by a Beijing tribunal connected charges including rape, successful 1 of China’s much salient #MeToo cases.
The condemnation was welcomed by women’s rights advocates, who have clashed with Beijing’s increasing intolerance for dissent and grass-roots activism nether President Xi Jinping. Chinese lawyers said that Wu had the close to entreaty his conviction. He had antecedently denied the allegations.
Wu, besides known arsenic Wu Yifan, roseate to fame arsenic portion of the South Korean-Chinese lad set Exo, and aboriginal became a solo performer. He was detained successful 2021 aft aggregate accusations were levied against him, which led to nationalist wide condemnation. At the time, luxury brands similar French manner statement Louis Vuitton and German automaker Porsche distanced themselves from the popular idol, with whom they had commercialized deals.
“It’s encouraging news, particularly successful the discourse of women’s rights successful the state being continuously eroded successful the past decade,” Yaqiu Wang, elder China researcher astatine Human Rights Watch, said of the sentencing. “Now, different victims of intersexual battle successful China tin consciousness empowered that they, too, tin travel guardant with their stories and question justice.”
However, Wang cautioned that censorship of women’s rights activists successful China continued. She besides noted that, successful the lawsuit against Wu, the prosecution was “shrouded successful secrecy” and “some of the disapproval of authorities’ handling of his lawsuit was scrubbed from the Chinese internet,” she said.
“In different words, the ruling Chinese Communist Party tin instrumentality today’s triumph and advancement distant immoderate time,” Wang said.
On Friday, Wu was sentenced to 11½ years imprisonment for rape, positive 1 twelvemonth and 10 months for “group lewdness,” according to a connection connected the Beijing Chaoyang District Court’s Weibo account. The tribunal said that helium would beryllium imprisoned for a full of 13 years and deported.
The court’s connection elaborate that Wu had assaulted 3 women, who were nether the power of intoxicant and “unable to resist,” astatine his location from November to December 2020. In 2018, helium colluded with others to signifier “lewd activities” with 2 women, the tribunal said.
The connection said that Canadian embassy officials were contiguous astatine the sentencing. Wu, who was calved successful China but moved to Canada arsenic a child, holds Canadian citizenship.
The online firestorm began erstwhile Du Meizhu, the archetypal pistillate to publically impeach Wu of assault, elaborate her allegations successful an interrogation with NetEase, a Chinese media outlet. In the interview, Du said Wu lured her to his location and plied her with intoxicant erstwhile she was 17 years old. About 2 twelve women came guardant with allegations aft Du spoke out.
On the time of the sentencing, Du wrote connected her verified Weibo page that “justice was delayed, but it has arrived.” Her station was liked much than 2.5 cardinal times arsenic of Saturday afternoon. What’s On Weibo, a quality tract that tracks Chinese societal media, reported that Du “celebrated” the condemnation successful a unrecorded stream, and that a Chinese-language hashtag, translated arsenic “Wu Yifan Gets 13 Years,” had been viewed much than 1.7 cardinal times.
Separately connected Friday, Wu was fined astir $84 cardinal by authorities for tax-related offenses committed betwixt 2019 and 2020, Reuters reported.
Healy reported from Washington. Eva Dou contributed to this report.
English (US)