Peng Shuai, a celebrity athlete in China who accused a former Chinese Communist Party high-ranking official of sexual assault on Chinese social media, disappeared. The internet began asking about her disappearance, and that led to sports organizations like the Women’s Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation asking for answers over her safety. To stabilize the concerns posed by the international community, China’s state media began a full-blown coverup using the evidence they allegedly came across. However, the international community cannot be convinced that the videos and images of Peng Shuai indicate she is safe. The initial sexual assault accusations have now spiraled into a movement to cancel or boycott the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
I am joined by Peter Dahlin, the founder of Safeguard Defender, to talk about how this whole process transpired and to help us understand China’s long history of disappearing, jailing—and much worse—of anyone who dares to speak up against the regime.
