In a historic case stemming from the brief-lived #MeToo movement in China, a woman sought an apology and monetary damages in her appeal, which was denied by the court on Wednesday.
After a hearing behind closed doors, the Beijing court upheld the previous decision from last September by concluding that the evidence provided by Zhou Xiaoxuan was insufficient to show sexual harassment.
Zhou, a former intern at China Central Television, said that Zhu Jun, a presenter on CCTV, had groped her and forced a kiss on her in 2014.
She reported the incident to the police in 2014, but it wasn’t until other women started coming out in 2018 that she made it public.
The #MeToo movement had a short period of success before being severely crushed.
When seeking to stage demonstrations, activists encountered pressure from the government and had their internet postings banned.
On Wednesday, police surrounded the walkway in front of the courthouse, citing the COVID-19 epidemic.
Police took away reporters from international media organisations, including AFP, who were documenting the incident.
Zhou told AFP that the legal procedure in her case had been “really too onerous.”
“I’m concerned that after experiencing what I have, future victims may be afraid to speak out for their rights.”
She said, nevertheless, that “maybe the next victim that steps into court might gain greater trust” as a result of her case.
Before going to court, Zhou, 29, told AFP that her legal team will concentrate on gaining access to more material, like as surveillance video and police transcripts of her parents’ post-incident interviews, which were excluded from the prior trial.
Zhou filed the lawsuit against Zhu in an effort to quash one he had filed against her.
She demanded a public apology and damages of 50,000 yuan ($7,600). Zhu has refuted the charges.
Zhou said that she had no regrets about continuing to pursue her case in a video that was put online the day before the hearing on Wednesday.
She expressed her sincere wish that future generations would not have to endure suffering.
“I hope the next victim who engages in judicial proceedings will find things to be less difficult.”