Olympic champion Imane Khelif has filed a cyberbullying lawsuit which included both J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has taken legal action against J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk.
She is suing them over alleged cyberbullying during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Khelif, who secured the gold medal in the women’s 66kg boxing event, has taken legal steps against the two public figures.
Both J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk were named in a cyberbullying lawsuit by Imane Khelif
She has filed a criminal complaint with French authorities, accusing them of engaging in a campaign of online harassment against her.
Khelif alleges that harmful comments directed at her on social media by these influential figures have caused her significant distress.
She also claims that these actions have severely damaged her reputation.
Khelif’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, stated that the lawsuit was filed against the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
This lawsuit will allow them to investigate “all people” involved, including those using pseudonyms.
The complaint specifically names Rowling and Musk.
“J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Boudi confirmed.
Imane Khelif and Angela Carini fight caused widespread debate
The controversy surrounding Khelif began after her match against Italian boxer Angela Carini.
Following the bout, Khelif was subjected to a wave of misinformation and hateful comments questioning her eligibility to compete in the women’s category.
The 25-year-old boxer is not a transgender woman. However, it is reported that she has made ‘XY chromosomes’.
This led to her disqualification from the 2023 World Championships.
The boxing organization at the time, the International Boxing Association, did gender tests that she failed.
This organization has now been banned.
Despite the intense online harassment, Khelif emerged victorious in her Olympic campaign. Furthermore, she won the gold medal in her weight class.
However, this experience has left a lasting impact on her, prompting the boxer to take legal action against her high-profile accusers.
The Olympic leaders IOC defended Imane Khelif’s eligibility
The leaders of the Olympics decided to let Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting compete; however, they were not allowed to compete in the 2023 World Championship.
The boxing organization that conducted the tests, the IBA, was removed by the IOC.
This decision was made due to issues with how the organization was run and possible corruption.
The IOC said: “Every person has the right to practice sport without being treated badly.”
They also said the information about the two female athletes was wrong.
The IOC said they are sad about the abuse the two athletes are receiving now.
J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and Donald Jump allegedly embarked on cyberbullying toward Khelif.
At the height of the controversy, Rowling posted a tweet accusing Khelif of being a man “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.”
Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, also spoke out on the issue.
He replied to a post by swimmer Riley Gaines that said, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” with the simple affirmation: “Absolutely.”
Boudi stated that former US President Donald Trump may also be implicated because he posted messages about Khelif’s Olympic participation.
“Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution,” Khelif’s lawyer said.
Boudi emphasized that the lawsuit aims to give investigators the ‘latitude’ to look into all those responsible for the cyberbullying, including public figures.
He stated that even though Rowling and Musk are named in the complaint, the prosecution will examine “whoever it feels necessary.”
Additionally, Khelif’s lawyer also mentioned that the case could potentially “target personalities overseas.”