Chinese-Canadian superstar Kris Wu Sentenced on Rape Charges
According to Hong Kong media, Chinese-Canadian sensation Kris Wu will be sentenced for rape on Friday following a secret trial in Beijing. He faces a sentence of three to ten years in prison. After claims were made in late July by Du Meizhu, 18, a beauty industry influencer, Wu was arrested and legally accused in August of last year. The lady accused the musician and actor of date-rapping her when she was 17 and when she was inebriated on social media. Du later accused him of doing the same thing to two other young women, one of whom was a juvenile.
Wu initially rejected the claims, and police appeared to support him at the time. However, two weeks later, the Chaoyang District People’s Procurator in Beijing published an official statement approving Wu’s arrest “after an inquiry conducted in accordance with the law.” Reports are surfacing of a trial held behind closed doors in the Beijing Chaoyang District People’s Court, ostensibly to safeguard the victim’s privacy. Rape and “group licentiousness” were among the charges.
While the contents of the judgment, or even if there was a formal verdict, have yet to be revealed in Hong Kong media reports, there can be little doubt about the outcome. The conviction rate in Chinese courts is 99.9%. The court stated that the sentencing will be revealed at a later date. Rape is usually punished in China with a sentence of three to ten years in jail. In the most heinous situations, such as statutory rape, the sentence can be as long as life in prison or possibly the death penalty. The legal age of consent in China is 14.
Group licentiousness, defined as intercourse between three or more people over the age of 16, carries a five-year prison sentence. The court could potentially opt to deport Wu, according to reports at the time the formal accusations were filed.
Wu, who was born in China but holds Canadian citizenship, was one of China’s most famous entertainers. Before focusing on his career in China, he rose to stardom as a member of the Korean boyband EXO’s Chinese-language spinoff. As a judge and mentor on shows like “The Rap of China,” the rapper became a TV regular. In 2018, he inked a deal with Universal Music for exclusive distribution.
Wu was formerly represented by UTA and CAA and has acted in films such as “XXX: Return of Xander Cage” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” as well as Chinese films such as Guan Hu’s “Mr. Six” and the 2016 fantasy “L.O.R.D. Legend of Ravaging Dynasties” and its sequel in 2020.
Wu’s arrest was hailed as a big achievement and illustration of China’s strong rule of law by official media and organizations last year. It was also another chance, in an already wide-ranging campaign, to call for a clean-up of poisonous, money- and celebrity-obsessed culture.
