AJC Welcomes French Justice Minister's Pledge on Halimi Killers

NEW YORK, July 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC welcomed a pledge from French
Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie to pursue increased jail terms against
members of a gang imprisoned last week for the kidnapping, torture and murder
in 2006 of Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man, in a savage crime motivated by
anti-Semitism.

Youssef Fofana, the leader of the gang which snatched Halimi, was sentenced to
life imprisonment with no prospect of parole for 22 years. Twenty-four other
gang members received sentences ranging from six months to eighteen years,
provoking widespread criticism in France that such terms were too light given
the gravity of the crime.

"We applaud Minister Alliot-Marie for responding quickly and decisively to
concerns about the sentencing, particularly from Ilan Halimi's family," said
AJC Executive Director David Harris. "While we note with satisfaction that
Youssef Fofana received the maximum penalty under French law, he did not act
alone. While the convictions of the gang send an important signal to French
society, we await a full measure of justice in this case, conscious that no
legal process can ever relieve the terrible pain of Ilan's family."

Ilan Halimi's sister, Yael, earlier told a French broadcaster that she was
"reassured" by Minister Alliot-Marie's statement.

In January 2006, the 23-year-old Halimi was lured from the store where he
worked in suburban Paris and kidnapped by Fofana's gang, who attempted to
extract a ransom from his family. Fofana said he wanted to kidnap a Jew
because "they're loaded with dough," and had told Halimi's family that, if
they could not afford the ransom, they should "go and get it from your
synagogue." Halimi was held captive for weeks, brutally beaten and burned with
cigarettes and acid, and then dumped at a train station, dying of his injuries
soon afterwards.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Ben Cohen of the American Jewish Committee, +1-212-891-1385, cohenb@ajc.org