Index on Censorship weekly round-up

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Friday, 22 September 2023
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Photo: Mika Baumeister, Unsplash

It has been a bad week for women. The most dominant story here in the UK has been that of Russell Brand, which broke to a chorus of tech bros and other toxic males shouting "why didn't women speak out earlier?" (point of reference - they did ([link removed]) ) and "don't believe them and the mainstream media". We wrote about Brand here ([link removed]) . Specifically how the story highlighted that SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation ([link removed]) ) are as much an issue in cases of sexual violence as they are in cases of journalists exposing corruption.

But what I want to discuss more today are the less dominant #MeToo stories of the week. These are the ones that have emerged from China. Monday started with news that the Women’s Tennis Association had resumed tournaments ([link removed]) there after a long hiatus. The WTA had pulled out of China following global tennis champion Peng Shuai's disappearance in 2021 on the back of accusations that a senior government official had sexually assaulted her. The WTA said they would only resume play once a transparent and thorough investigation took place into Peng's case. Two years on no such investigation has occurred. The WTA believe they've waited long enough and have little faith their goal of an investigation will ever happen. So they're back in, which sends a terrible message to Beijing; if enough time passes all sins are forgiven, or at least forgotten.

The week ends with the closed-door trial ([link removed]) of #MeToo activists Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing. Huang, who won Index's journalism award ([link removed]) in 2022, and Wang were arrested in September 2021. They've been accused of inciting subversion of state power but supporters believe the real reason is their weekly gatherings at Wang’s apartment and their larger involvement in the country's feminist movement.

Huang worked as an investigative reporter for liberal-leaning media outlets before becoming a freelance journalist. She was instrumental in sparking China’s #MeToo movement after she used her considerable social media presence to draw attention to China's first #MeToo case, giving voice to a graduate student who accused her PhD supervisor of unwanted sexual advances. She's also been public about her own experiences of sexual harassment as a young intern at a national news agency.

Since the arrest of Huang and Wang, both have been prevented from seeing family members. Huang is also believed to have been tortured and her health has deteriorated to a very worrying extent.

China is a nation that desperately needs progress when it comes to ending assaults on women. A UN study from 2013 found that one-half of men in the country had used physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner ([link removed]) , while 73% of men who had committed rape faced no legal consequences. Ten years on, the only change is that the once nascent feminist movement is now being wiped out. With a guilty verdict the likely outcome of today's trial, China's women are losing two of their most vocal allies.

Irish writer Louise O'Neill wrote in her book Asking For It ([link removed]) about a teenage girl who is raped and then shamed. In the book, the lead character Emma O'Donovan argues “they are all innocent until proven guilty. But not me. I am a liar until I am proven honest.” In the case of the UK and China, the women speaking up against sexual violence are not just considered liars, they're considered criminals. It's a stain on both nations.

Jemimah Steinfeld
Editor-in-chief


** Shortlists announced for the 2023 Freedom of Expression Awards
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Artists, activists and journalists from Afghanistan, India, Myanmar and Somalia are among the nominations for this year's awards. Read our CEO Ruth Anderson's weekly blog to discover the stories behind the nominees ([link removed]) .


** Send a postcard of support to Jimmy Lai
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Left: Painting by Lumli Lumlong. Right: Messages 1..." (2015) by the Hong Kong visual artist, curator and writer, Mei Yuk Wong

Jimmy Lai is a 75-year-old businessman and founder and publisher of Apple Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper that was forced to close in 2021 after the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the city. A longtime critic of the party, Lai is one of the most high-profile pro-democracy campaigners to have been arrested in Hong Kong since the Chinese government enacted the National Security Law in June 2020. Lai was charged with violating the National Security Law in August 2020. His trial for that case is scheduled for later this year, but since his arrest he has been convicted on separate charges of fraud and organising illegal protests.

Index is now launching a campaign to allow Jimmy's well-wishers to send him postcards containing messages of support which we will forward to him in prison. Find out how to take part here ([link removed]) .

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** From the archive
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** No comfort in the truth
by Annemarie Luck
June 1998
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In 1992, long before the #MeToo movement arose, a group of South Korean women gathered outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, shouting things such as “apologise” and “shame on you”. Years on, those who are still alive continue to gather, hoping for justice for the sexual crimes that were committed against them during World War II. Read their story ([link removed]) .

Help support Index on Censorship ([link removed])
Index on Censorship defends people's freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution. We publish censored writers and artists, monitor and campaign against censorship, and encourage debate.

We rely on donations from readers and supporters. By donating ([link removed]) to Index you help us to protect freedom of expression and to support those who are denied that right.
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