Alibaba has fired the female employee who accused a superior of sexually assaulting her during a business trip in July, The New York Times reported, citing a statement from her lawyer.
Last month, Alibaba sent a letter to the woman – known only by her surname Zhou – saying that she had spread false statements, such as she was “raped by executives and the company knew but did not deal with it.”
The Chinese ecommerce giant also cited an article in its code of conduct that became the basis of Zhou’s dismissal: “Publishing or disseminating inappropriate remarks to the outside world, or deliberately fabricating or disseminating fictitious facts, or disseminating unconfirmed information, causing bad influence.”
This is a reversal of Alibaba’s initial support for Zhou. In August, the firm fired Wang Chengwen – Zhou’s then-manager and the man she had accused of sexual assault – after an internal probe into the incident.
See also: How rape allegations at Alibaba sparked an internal firestorm
Editing by Collin Furtado
(And yes, we’re serious about ethics and transparency. More information here.)
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