Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and tech billionaire Elon Musk were named in a complaint filed in France over allegations of “aggravated cyber harassment” against Olympic champion Imane Khelif.
Variety confirmed the news on Tuesday, and said that the lawsuit was filed against X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, the same day Kehlif won a gold medal in the women’s welterweight division of the 2024 Olympics . Khelif’s attorney, Nabil Boudi, told the outlet that this “ensure[s] that the prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” including those who used pseudonyms to write speech directed at Khelfi. If the prosecutor’s office charges anyone under the statute, it could call for two to five years in prison and tens of thousands of Euros in fines.
Boudi added that Donald Trump would be part of the investigation, as the former president “tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.” The controversy surrounding the Algerian boxer began on Aug. 1, when her opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, withdrew from a match after just 46 seconds, saying, “I have never been hit so hard in my life.
” This led to a wave of baseless criticism from people like Musk, Rowling, Trump, and Logan Paul — all of whom falsely suggested that Khelif is a trans woman and/or that she should be barred from women’s athletic events. (Paul later posted a statement admitting that “I m.