The appeal trial in a resounding sexual harassment case in China, considered the first "#MeToo" case in the country's history, opens on Wednesday in Beijing.
Zhou Xiaoxuan, 29, in 2018 accused a star presenter, Zhu Jun, of forcibly kissing and caressing her when she was a trainee four years earlier at state broadcaster CCTV.
Get access to more evidence
At first instance in September 2021 and after three years of legal battle, a Beijing court dismissed his complaint, finding that there was not enough evidence.
The young woman's accusations had triggered an avalanche of similar testimonies on social networks, like the #MeToo movement to denounce sexual harassment in Western countries.
The complainant had appealed and her case will be heard at 2:00 p.m. (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday in Beijing.
“
I still feel a bit scared and depressed
,” she told AFP shortly before the hearing.
“
The first trial was like a second deep wound
".
Her lawyers will try to gain access to more evidence, such as police transcripts of interviews with her parents after the incident and CCTV footage, she said.
The accused, who did not attend any of the hearings, had sued the complainant for defamation, but the latter said she had no news on the subject.
Zhou Xiaoxuan, who also presents himself under the pseudonym Xianzi, demanded a public apology as well as damages of up to 50,000 yuan (7,200 euros).
The first hearing in this case, in December 2020, drew an unusual crowd outside the court.
The police had arrested foreign reporters, including from AFP.
"
The way my case went was really tough
," Zhou Xiaoxuan said.
"
I fear that other victims are afraid to stand up for their rights after seeing what I have been through
."
Read alsoIn China too, female students claim #MeToo
The complaint was initially filed in the name of bodily harm, but the plaintiff's lawyers then tried to reformulate it on the basis of a new anti-harassment law passed in 2020. Despite this legislation , Chinese women are most often reluctant to report harassment and few cases end up in court.