A hashtag supporting a University of Minnesota student who accuses a Chinese internet tycoon of raping her has gone viral, reports The Guardian.
Liu Jingyao filed a civil suit against billionaire Richard Liu who she says got her drunk and then raped her in her U.S. apartment. Prosecutors dropped sexual misconduct charges against Liu in August due to what it called “profound evidentiary problems.”
Within days, #HereForJingyao and #IAmNotAPerfectVictimEither generated 15 million views on Weibo, a Chinese internet platform.
The billionaire who is not related to his accuser is chief executive of JD.com, China’s second largest e-commerce site. He has called the lawsuit “meritless” and vowed to defend himself vigorously.
The Independent reports that at least six social media accounts which have been vocal in their support of Liu Jingyao have been shutdown. Chen Chun says We Chat informed him he could no longer use his account because his online petition in support of the Jingyao “violated regulations.”
“This is a pretty big case,” Chen said. “It’s quite meaningful because in China we haven’t yet had a case that reaches this level.”
A video has surfaced of Liu Jingyao and Richard Liu walking together arm in arm. Both sides say the video supports their versions of what happened.
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