Imane Khelif has spoken out about her lawsuit against Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling for cyberbullying, sharing impact it has had on her.
Imane Khelif, a prominent Olympic boxer, has recently made headlines after filing a lawsuit against notable figures Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling for cyberbullying.
This marks the first time Khelif has publicly addressed the situation since the controversy began.
In her statement, she discussed the emotional toll that online harassment has taken on her life and the reasons behind her legal action.
Algerian boxer sued Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling for cyberbullying
Algerian Olympian Imane Khelif has spoken out after filing a lawsuit against prominent figures, including Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling.
The lawsuit alleges their involvement in cyberbullying.
The 25-year-old boxer, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, addressed the serious impact of online attacks she faced.
These attacks followed controversies regarding her gender eligibility.
During the Olympics, reports revealed that officials barred Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting from a 2023 International Boxing Association competition.
This decision followed alleged tests indicating they had “elevated levels of testosterone.”
However, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman later stated that the results were “so flawed that it was impossible to engage with.”
Both Khelif and Lin were assigned female at birth and have never identified as male, transgender, or intersex.
In the aftermath of her Olympic triumph, Khelif filed a complaint with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, citing alleged “acts of cyber-harassment.”
Her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, confirmed that Musk, Rowling, and former U.S. President Donald Trump were all named in the lawsuit.
Imane Khelif speaks out for the first time after suing Elon Musk and JK Rowling for cyberbullying
Khelif has talked about the devastating impact of the online backlash in an interview with Algerian news channel El Bilad.
She mentioned that comments from public figures have “hurt a lot.”
She added, “It affected me. It affected me a lot; it hurt me a lot.
I can’t describe to you the amount of fear I had.”
The boxer emphasized that she does not want to mix politics and sports, stating:
“Sports and politics are two separate things.
These politicians who are oppressing me, they don’t have the right to say that I’m transgender.”
Boudi, Khelif’s attorney, explained that the lawsuit was filed against “unknown persons,” or “X,” to allow the prosecution to investigate all potential perpetrators.
This includes public figures and individuals who posted under pseudonyms.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that it has received Khelif’s complaint and launched an investigation.
Representatives for Musk and Rowling have been contacted for comment, but no response has been provided at the time of writing.