Chinese prosecutors drop case against former Alibaba employee accused of sexual assault By Reuters

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese language prosecutors have dropped a case in opposition to a former Alibaba (NYSE:) Group Holding Ltd worker accused of sexually assaulting a feminine colleague, saying they’d decided he had dedicated forcible indecency however not a criminal offense.

The worker, recognized by his surname Wang, was detained by police final month after a feminine Alibaba worker posted an 11-page account https://www.reuters.com/enterprise/retail-consumer/rocked-by-sexual-assault-allegation-alibaba-launches-investigation-suspends-2021-08-08 on Alibaba’s intranet saying a supervisor and a shopper sexually assaulted her throughout a enterprise journey to jap China’s Jinan metropolis.

She mentioned superiors and human assets didn’t take her report severely, triggering a fierce public backlash in opposition to the e-commerce big, which later fired Wang and suspended different executives.

Prosecutors, nevertheless, have permitted the arrest of the shopper who has been recognized by his surname Zhang.

Jinan police have accused each males of committing acts of forcible indecency however haven’t offered particulars of the acts. The feminine worker in her account mentioned she was principally unconscious in the course of the incident and awakened together with her garments eliminated.

Reuters was unable to succeed in Wang or Zhang for remark. Alibaba mentioned in response to the choice by prosecutors that it has a zero-tolerance coverage for sexual misconduct. Jinan Hualian Grocery store, Zhang’s former employer, didn’t reply to an emailed request for remark.

Chinese language regulation says these utilizing violence or coercion to behave indecently in opposition to others could be sentenced to as a lot as 5 years in jail however doesn’t outline an indecent act.

Since first surfacing in August, the feminine Alibaba worker’s allegations have triggered a lot on-line dialogue about sexual harassment in China in addition to the nation’s tradition of heavy consuming throughout enterprise conferences.

Alibaba dismissed 10 staff for sharing display photographs of the feminine colleague’s account of sexual assault allegations, Bloomberg Information reported final month, citing folks accustomed to the matter.