Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Chelif has filed a legal complaint for “online” harassment during the Olympics in France after a barrage of unwarranted criticism and false claims about her gender. Her lawyer Nabil Boudi stated this on Sunday.
Chelif won the women’s welterweight gold medal, making her a hero in her native Algeria and drawing global attention to women’s boxing.
However, due to her masculine features, she attracted the attention of haters and haters who publicly criticized her for competing in the women’s category.
The complaint was filed on Friday with the special unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office for combating hate speech in the “online” space.
“We are citing ‘aggravated cyber harassment’ against Cheliva as the reason,” said Nabil Boudi.
In a statement, he described it as a “misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign” against the boxer. It is now up to prosecutors to decide whether to open an investigation.
As is common in French law, the complaint does not name the alleged perpetrator, leaving it up to investigators to determine who might be guilty.
Chelif was unwittingly drawn into the global conflict over gender identity and regulation in sport after her first bout at the 2024 Olympics, when Italian rival Angela Carini withdrew from the tournament in pain just seconds after being hit hard by her opponent.
Immediately, an avalanche of unjustified criticism of Khelif broke out on the Internet all over the world. that she is transgender or even male.
The International Olympic Committee came to her defense and publicly condemned those who spread misinformation. Chelifová stated that spreading misconceptions about her harms her human dignity.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
