Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won gold in the Paris Olympics women’s welterweight boxing division, has filed a lawsuit against author JK Rowling, X owner Elon Musk, and others alleging "cyber harassment" following controversy that Khelif had previously failed gender testing for the 2023 world championships.
Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s attorney, told Variety that both figures had been named in the complaint filed with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on Friday. Khelif won a gold medal the same day. "[Donald] Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution," he added.
The "National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred," part of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed that it had received the complaint and had launched an investigation.
"On Aug. 13, (The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin," the office said.
According to the Daily Mail, possible punishments for cyberbullying offenses in France include prison sentences of between two to five years and fines reaching £39,000. If prosecuted as online hate speech, fines increase to up to £214,000.
The lawsuit was issued against X, which according to French law means that it was filed against "unknown persons." Boudi said that this ensures the "prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people," including those who may have posted under pseudonyms.
He said that while the complaint mentioned names, "What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary. If the case goes to court, they will stand trial."
In regards to the lawsuit being leveled at X, Boudi said it was aimed at users on the platform and not the platform itself. "It’s the responsibility of lawmakers to issue sanctions to platforms, not ours."
Pedro Diaz, Khelif’s coach, told Variety that the controversy that surrounded Khelif being able to compete "incredibly affected her" and "everyone around her."
"The first time she fought in the Olympics, there was this crazy storm outside of the ring," he said, adding that "I had never seen anything so disgusting in my life."
Khelif came into the spotlight after winning a bout against Italy's Angela Carini in just 46 seconds after the fighter withdrew from the bout. Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 International Boxing Association's world championships after the sports body said that Khelif as well as another fighter failed gender eligibility testing. The International Olympic Committee said that Khelif had met all criteria to compete on the world stage in Paris.
