Former K-pop idol and Chinese-Canadian mega-star Kris Wu appeared in Beijing Court on July 25, 2023, to appeal against his r*ape conviction. The pop star was sentenced to 13 years of prison in addition to deportation by the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court last November for r*pe, se*ual assault, grooming of adult and underage girls along with participating in lewd group activities.
Trigger warning: Mentions of r*pe, se*ual assault.
As per Variety and China Daily, the 32-year-old Chinese-Canadian artist stood in the court once again to appeal his sentence outside of public view. The appeal was heard at the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court. It was conducted in a sense of urgency and completed in a day. As per the Chinese media, it worked on short notice to work ”in accordance with laws to protect the privacy of the victims.”
Former Chinese K-pop star Kris Wu’s appeals r*pe sentence conviction, verdict pending
Kris Wu, also known as Wu Yi Fan, has become one of the biggest examples of the most significant celebrity downfalls in recent history. The 32-year-old sat amongst the most significant artists in China and enjoyed an explosive popularity worldwide.
The former K-pop idol had several big-deal endorsements lined up, variety show features, and more. Reportedly, he once had 50 million followers on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform.
The former K-pop idol was accused of r*pe by a Chinese beauty influencer Du Meizhu (then 18 years old) in 2021. Further investigations and victim testimonials had the Beijing court sentence him for 13 years of prison in total in November last year.
He was found guilty of r*ping three women in November and December 2020. Of the total sentence, 11 years and six months were for charges of r*pe and 22 months for engaging in promiscuous group activities.
On July 25, 2023, Kris Wu appealed privately to the Beijing Court against his r*pe conviction. The hearing was conducted in a day as also a way to not attract the public and the media’s attention. Details about the China-born Canadian’s appeal haven’t been made public. The verdict for the same will also be revealed at a later undisclosed date.
Additionally, Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court also reportedly notified the Canadian embassy of Kris Wu’s hearing and that his rights were protected in accordance with the law. However, the Canadian diplomats was denied access to the 32-year-old's appeal trial, reported Reuters on July 27.
More information on Kris Wu’s scandal
On July 8 2021, teenage beauty influencer Du Meizhu publicly ousted then-Chinese mega popstar Kris Wu for date-r*ping her and other girls, some of which were minors. She accused him of cheating her, seeking underage girls under the pretense of casting female leads for his music video and even forcing them to drink alcohol to then take advantage of them.
After Du Meizhu’s reveal, a few victims came forward to share their experiences and accused Kris Wu of similar crimes. Although the former K-pop idol initially denied the accusations, the Chaoyang police detained him on July 31, 2021, on suspicions of r*pe. It was then reported by Chinese outlet Sina that the police detaining the pop star hinted towards them finding evidence of the crime.
The former K-pop idol’s presence on Chinese social media, across Weibo, iQIYI Video, Tencent, Baidu, QQ Music, etc. were deleted. His arrest was approved on August 16, 2021. In November last year, Beijing Chaoyang People’s Court of First Instance sentenced him to 13 years in prison plus deportation.
