AJC Applauds Convictions and Harsh Sentences for Halimi Killers

NEW YORK, July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC today applauded a French
court for the conviction and sentencing of the gang responsible for the
anti-Semitic kidnapping, torture, and murder of a young Jewish man, Ilan
Halimi, in 2006. Ringleader Youssouf Fofana received the maximum life sentence
with no possibility of parole for 22 years.

"Justice has been served," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "These
thugs kidnapped a Jew because they believed the anti-Semitic myth that all
Jews are rich, and they brutally tortured Ilan to death because they hated
him. We are grateful to the court for sending a strong message that such
monstrous hate crimes have no place in French society."

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. 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. At
the trial's opening in April, Fofana reportedly shouted, "Allah will prevail."

"Since February 2006, French authorities have correctly labeled this a crime
of racial hatred," Harris said. "While this sentencing cannot relieve the
terrible pain of Ilan's family, we hope that it can help to prevent such a
brutal act from ever taking place again."

AJC France, directed by Valerie Hoffenberg, has closely followed the
proceedings and worked to support the Jewish community's efforts to pursue
justice for Halimi's family.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Ben Cohen, AJC, +1-212-891-1385