J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk could face substantial fines and possibly a prison sentence if Olympic champion Imane Khelif wins her cyberbullying lawsuit.
The Harry Potter author and the SpaceX founder have both been named in a criminal complaint posted to the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office on Friday (August 9).
The lawsuit was filed to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” against Imane, who began facing attacks questioning her gender after beating Italian boxer Angela Carini in 46 seconds at the 2024 Olympics.
It was issued against Elon’s social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), which means it was filed against “unknown persons” under French law.
Imane Khelif has named Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling in a cyberbullying lawsuit
Image credits: Olympics
Imane’s attorney, Nabil Boudi, explained that the criminal complaint “ensure[s] that the prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” including those who may have written hateful messages under pseudonyms.
Following the 25-year-old’s win against Angela, reports emerged that the Algerian boxer had been disqualified from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships as she had allegedly failed an unspecified “gender eligibility” test.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the governing body of Olympic sports, revoked the IBA’s Olympic status in 2019 due to concerns about governance, corruption, and financial mismanagement.
It stated that Imane was eligible to compete and criticized the Russian-led IBA’s decision as “sudden and arbitrary” and “taken without any due process.” Imane was born a biological female and identifies as a woman. She has always competed as a woman, including at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The criminal complaint was filed over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” that Imane faced during the Olympics
Elon Musk, one of the well-known personalities who misgendered Imane on social media, shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines, which claimed, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.” He responded to the message by writing, “Absolutely.”
J.K Rowling posted a picture from Imane’s fight against Angela, accusing the winner of being “a man enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.”
She also said the Algerian boxer’s victory was “men reveling in their power over women.”
Donald Trump posted a photo of the bout and wrote, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”
Trump is also under investigation for cyber harassment, Nabil Boudi confirmed. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
If charged, the Harry Potter author and the X owner face two to five years in prison and tens of thousands of euros in fines
As for Musk and Rowling, they could be sentenced to prison for the comments they shared online.
“What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary,” said Boudi.
“If the case goes to court, they will stand trial.”
Possible repercussions for cyber-bullying offenses in France are prison sentences ranging from two to five years and fines between $33,400 and $50,140, according to the DailyMail.
If prosecuted as online hate speech, perpetrators could even be fined $82,000 to $275,000, the tabloid added.
In an interview with El Birad, Imane spoke about the emotional impact of having high-profile figures questioning her identity.
“There was a big uproar from big politicians, athletes, and even artists and stars, Elon Musk and Trump….it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. I can’t describe to you the amount of fear I had.”
Elon Musk re-shared a message that falsely claimed the 25-year-old female boxer was a man
“The scenario was very scary. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.”
She also emphasized that she “doesn’t like to get into politics” because she believes “sports and politics are two separate things.”
“These politicians who are oppressing me, they don’t have the right to say that I’m a transgender.
“This is a big shame for my family, for the honor of my family, for the honor of Algeria, for the women of Algeria and especially the Arab world. The whole world knows I am a Muslim girl.”
Imane won gold after beating China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg final on August 9. Following the fight, the Tiaret, Algeria, native said, “[The detractors] are enemies of success; that is what I call them. And that also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
“I’m fully qualified to take part in this competition,” she added. “I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.”
People shared their views on the potential consequences of Rowling and Musk’s remarks
