Kris Wu, the Chinese-Canadian pop megastar who was jailed last year for rape and group sex, appeared in court in Beijing on Tuesday to appeal his convictions.
The case was heard at the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court. The appeal appears to have been conducted in a single day and away from media or public scrutiny.
Chinese state media said this was “in accordance with laws to protect the privacy of the victims.” In a social media posting, the court said that it had notified the Canadian embassy ahead of the hearing and that Wu’s rights had been protected.
The appeal verdict will be announced at an unspecified future date.
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Wu was sentenced last November by the Chaoyang District People’s Court to a total of 13 years — 11 and a half years for rape and a consecutive 22 months for “group lewdness” — and will be deported from China after completing his sentence.
Wu was first accused of rape by influencer Du Meizhu in 2021. Du posted on social media claims that Wu had lured several other women, some under the age of consent, while pretending to be recruiting actresses.
Initially, authorities were skeptical of Du’s claims. But after further investigation and statements by other women, Wu was arrested by police. The court convicted him of sex with multiple women in 2020, predating his encounter with Du.
Given China’s 99.9% rate of conviction at trial, Wu’s detention in August 2021 led to one of the most dramatic collapses of a celebrity brand.
Wu had been one of China’s highest paid celebrities, with successful music, acting and TV careers – he was on “The Rap of China” for four seasons — and a huge collection of brand endorsements.
Within days of his arrest, shows featuring Wu quickly disappeared in their entirety, including high-profile ones from major streamers and content studios Youku, iQiyi, MangoTV and Bilibili.
Guangzhou-born Wu reportedly had more than 50 million followers on Weibo, a popular social media platform, and boasted fans around the world. How many remain is unclear.
At the time, state media trumpeted Wu’s arrest as an example of the strength of the Chinese legal system and proof that even high-flyers cannot get away with bad behavior. It also called for the entertainment industry to rid itself of “carbuncles.”
More recently, official outlets have been somewhat gentler. “Television, film and music industry associations called on celebrities to behave themselves and focus more on their profession to promote the healthy development of the entertainment field, and set a good example for the public,” China Daily said Tuesday.
