Enterprises and residents in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are suing a German researcher, claiming that he was spreading rumors about "forced labor" that has damaged their reputation and caused economic losses, a website media in Xinjiang reported on Tuesday.

A civil lawsuit has been filed against the figure, Adrian Zenz, to a local court in Xinjiang by an appointed lawyer. The lawsuit demands that Zenz apologizes, rehabilitates their reputation and pays for damages, ts.cn reported.

Zenz, born in 1974, is a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a far right-wing organization established in 1983. In recent years, he has frequently made Xinjiang-related comments on social media fabricating academic research results on topics such as "forced labor of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang". These have been quoted by Western media.

Misled by these rumors, some countries and enterprises reduced or even stopped the import of cotton and cotton products from Xinjiang, causing economic loss to farmers and processing enterprises in Xinjiang, the report said.

The civil case against Zenz reflects the Chinese people's increasing awareness of the rule of law and transnational rights protection. More lawsuits by companies and individuals cannot be ruled out for people and institutions who behaved like Zenz, it said.