WTA threatens China with embargo over Swai Peng case

With embargo threatens the WTA China, if Beijing does not “shed light” on disappearance of champion Swai Peng. WTA President and CEO Steve Simon did not rule out the cessation of the tournament in China if the country does not clear up the issue.

«We are fully prepared to withdraw our operations from China and deal with all the complications that arise. Because it is (s.s. accusations of rape) more important than business. We do not know if she was forced to write the message or if someone wrote it for her. “But until we talk to her in person, we will not calm down,” Simon told CNN on Thursday.

The ghost email of Swai Peng

The Chinese state channel CGTN revealed on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon an email attributed to Peng and which he allegedly sent to the WTA administration, without confirming the authenticity of the message. “The information, especially about the category of sexual assault, is false. I am not missing or in danger. I was just resting at home, everything is fine. “Thanks again for the interest,” Peng reportedly wrote.

The content of this message raised doubts about its authenticity, as Twitter users noticed that a cursor was visible in the message transmitted by CGTN.

In the past, as the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency recalls, the communist regime has been accused of broadcasting forced confessions of suspects to the public media. The same channel lost its license in the United Kingdom earlier this year because it broadcast a “confession” attributed to a British citizen who was arrested in China.

“The recent statements by Swai Peng, published by the public media, should not be taken lightly,” said William, a member of the China Human Rights Defenders Association. people involved in controversial cases, preventing them from speaking freely and forcing them to make public statements. It is up to the Chinese government to prove that he is not in custody. “

The head of the WTA, commented that Peng “showed incredible courage in her description sexual violence for which, as he says, he fell victim to a former senior Chinese leader “, while asking for” independent and verifiable proof “that Peng is safe.

“I tried several times to approach her through different means of communication, to no avail,” Simon revealed, demanding that the former Chinese champion be allowed to “speak freely, without coercion or intimidation of any kind.”

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