Chinese activist Zhao Wei has filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyer Ren Quanniu after Ren spread online claims that Zhao had been sexually assaulted during her detention in Tianjin.
The People's Court of Zhongyuan district in Zhengzhou, Henan has accepted Zhao's case. Zhao's lawyers said that Ren's claim has caused their client great emotional damage and demanded compensation of 100,000 yuan ($14,955), according to news site cpd.com.cn - an affiliate of China's Ministry of Public Security.
According to local police, Ren, a lawyer at Henan Guidao Law Firm, was arrested Friday for using online posts on his Sina Weibo account to widely spread the rumor that "Zhao Wei was sexually attacked during her detention in Tianjin," and he has pleaded guilty.
Zhao, a 24-year-old activist, was detained in 2015 and was granted bail pending trial in light of her "good attitude" and her confession to the unspecified "illegal crimes" of which she was accused, Tianjin police announced on July 7.
Zhao's lawyer posted a letter written by Zhao in which she wrote, "With those rumors flying on the Internet, how can I face my family and friends?" according to the report.
