Beijing court dismisses 3-year old China #MeToo case

The court said in a judgement that Zhou Xiaoxuan did not meet the burden of proof in claiming that she was sexually harassed

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 judgement, 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.

Ms. Zhou was a former intern at Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and went public with accusations against Mr. 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 Ms. Zhou has continued to speak out.