Prosecutor’s Office looks into harassment against Imane Khelif for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Following a flurry of criticism and misinformation regarding Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif’s gender during the games, French prosecutors have launched an inquiry into her complaint of internet abuse, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced on Monday. Nabil Boudi, the athlete’s attorney, filed a complaint on Friday with the Paris prosecutor’s office special unit that handles hate speech on the Internet.
The fighter, according to Mr. Boudi, was the subject of a “misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign” despite taking home the gold in the women’s welterweight division, rising to fame in her native Algeria, and bringing women’s boxing to the attention of the world. In response to the complaint, the prosecutor’s office claimed that it had begun an inquiry into “gender-based cyberbullying, gender-based public insults, public incitement to discrimination and public insults based on origin.” The office was tasked with addressing crimes against humanity and hate crimes. Following her debut fight in Paris, Imane Khelif found herself at the center of a controversy surrounding sexual identity and the regulation of the sport when her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, withdrew a few seconds in, claiming discomfort from the first blows.
Imane Khelif found herself at the heart of a controversy over sexual identity and the regulation of the sport after her first fight in Paris, when her Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew a few seconds into the fight, citing pain caused by the first punches.
False claims that Imane Khelif was transgender or a man have erupted online, and the International Olympic Committee has defended her and denounced those spreading misinformation. Imane Khelif has said that spreading misconceptions about her “undermines human dignity . ”
Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JK Rowling are among those who have spread misinformation about the athlete.
Imane Khelif’s complaint was filed against social media platforms, including X, rather than against a specific perpetrator, a common formulation in French law that leaves it up to investigators to determine the person or organization that may have committed the wrongdoing.
Instead of naming a specific offender, as is customary in French law, Imane Khelif’s complaint was directed towards social media platforms, including X. This means that investigators will have to identify the individual or group that may have been responsible for the misconduct. No specific suspects have been mentioned by the prosecutor’s office in Paris. It is anticipated that Imane Khelif would see President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and be welcomed by her family in her hometown of Ain Mesbah, Algeria, two days following her homecoming.