The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office does not plan to indict entertainer Tina Chou (周宜霈) after her former boss, Charles “Blackie” Chen (陳建州), filed a defamation suit against her over a Facebook post in June in which she said he sexually harassed her during a trip to Hong Kong 11 years ago.
The office said the decision not to charge Chou, who said in a separate Facebook post in September that she had reported the case to Hong Kong police, was made after she was questioned by Taiwanese authorities that same month and discussions were held with Chen in August and October.
The issue went beyond the private realm, because Chou had referred to her experiences as an entertainer in the post and called on other women to protect themselves in the workplace, in a similar vein to other #MeToo posts that went viral in Taiwan at the time, prosecutors said.
Photo: Taipei Times
There was also enough evidence, such as mobile screenshots, to back up Chou’s accusation that Chen sexually harassed her in Hong Kong and subsequently deprived her of employment opportunities, the prosecutors’ office said.
Chou had mentioned being sexually harassed by Chen many times before writing the Facebook post, the prosecutors’ office said, adding that it believed the content of her post corresponded with the evidence provided.
Chou yesterday wrote on Facebook said that despite the colder weather, her heart feels “very warm.”
“I believed that justice would prevail,” she wrote, thanking the legal system and those who had followed her case.
“I hope this news encourages others to come forward and boosts the faith of those still trapped in #MeToo experiences because I still believe we should do the right thing and come forward,” she said.
A series of #MeToo cases came to light in Taiwan in early June, with Chou taking to Facebook on June 27 to accuse Chen of sexual assault.
Chou’s post led to Chen taking time off from his position as CEO of the P.League+ basketball league. He sued Chou for civil compensation of NT$10 million (US$318,867).
Although Chen dropped the lawsuit in July, his lawyers asked prosecutors to indict Chou for offenses against his reputation.
Chen resigned as P.League+ chairman of the board, CEO and president in early October, but rejoined the league as its vice president early last month.
Separately, the prosecutors’ office said that three of the 10 sexual assault complaints filed against comedian “Nono” Chen Hsuan-yu (陳宣裕) would be dropped, as there is not enough evidence to prosecute.
The seven other complaints — including from YouTuber Anissa (小紅老師), who said she had received similar stories involving Nono from other women after posting her story on social media — would be transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation, as it has jurisdiction over the cases, it added.
In June more than 20 women accused the comedian of sexual harassment.
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