(London) The UK on Saturday urged China to provide “verifiable evidence” of the “safety and whereabouts” of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who has not come forward publicly since she took over. accused a former Communist Party official of forcing her to have sex.
“We are extremely concerned about the apparent disappearance of Peng Shuai and are following the case closely,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that Beijing should “urgently provide verifiable evidence that it is safe and of its location ”.
“Everyone should be allowed to speak out without fear of repercussions. All reported cases of sexual assault, anywhere in the world, must be investigated, ”the ministry added.
London’s demand for transparency comes after those of the United States and the UN, as images of Peng Shuai on the internet, published by an official Chinese media, have caused turmoil.
SCREENSHOTS OF TWITTER, REUTERS
Images of Peng Shuai circulated on social media over the weekend.
AFP was unable to confirm the location or the conditions in which the images were taken.
Peng Shuai, 35, former world number 1 doubles player and star in her country, has not come forward publicly since accusing Zhang Gaoli, a powerful ex-Communist Party official 40 years her senior, of having forced her to have sex.