BEIJING -- A Beijing court ruled against a Chinese woman on Tuesday in a #MeToo case that wound through the courts for three years, in a blow to the tamped-down movement whose legacy remains uncertain.
The Haidian People's Court said in a judgment released late Tuesday night that Zhou Xiaoxuan, who had become the face of the country's #MeToo movement, did not meet the burden of proof in claiming that Zhu Jun, her superior at her place of work, sexually harassed her.
Zhou was a former intern at Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and went public with accusations against Zhu, a prominent CCTV host, in 2018 as dozens of women began to speak out about their past experiences of being harassed or assaulted. Since then, the movement has been largely shut down by authorities as activists found their online posts censored and faced pressure from authorities when trying to hold protests, but Zhou has continued to speak out.
“I'm very thankful for everyone, whether we win or lose, I'm very honored to have experienced these last three years,” Zhou said to reporters outside the court Tuesday afternoon, as unidentified men and women came up and tried to push her along.
