Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., July 12, 2009 Tamuz 20, 5769 | | Israel Time: 13:38 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File
Share |
Last update - 21:34 10/07/2009
Paris court set to deliver verdict on brutal murder of French Jew
By The Associated Press
Tags: Ilan Halimi, France 

A Paris court was due to issue a verdict Friday in the case of 27 people on trial for the brutal 2006 killing of a young man prosecutors say was targeted because he was Jewish.

Ilan Halimi, who was 23 years old, was found naked, handcuffed and covered
with burn marks near railroad tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris on Feb. 13, 2006. He died on the way to the hospital after being held captive for more than three weeks.
Advertisement
The 27 suspects, several of whom were minors at the time of the attack, include nine women. All were members of a group that called itself the Gang of Barbarians, allegedly led by 28-year-old Youssef Fofana.


Prosecutors have requested a life sentence for Fofana, who is charged with
premeditated murder, demanding ransom and acts of torture and barbarism. They have requested prison terms of 20 years each for two of Fofana's alleged accomplices.

The 24 others are charged with a variety of crimes, including kidnapping by an organized group, sequestration that resulted in death or failing to assist a person in danger.

The trial opened on April 29 and was closed to the public, and the jury has been deliberating for three days in a secret location.

Halimi's horrific death revived worries in France about lingering anti-Semitism and led to deep anxiety in France's Jewish community, the largest in western Europe.

Scores of police, some in full riot gear, took up posts around the Palais de Justice in central Paris.

The case has attracted intense public scrutiny. While most of the trial took place behind closed doors because some of the accused were underage at the time of the crime, the courtroom was being opened for the verdict.

Halimi's mother, Ruth, has told French television that she believes the
proceedings should have been open to the public.

A month after the start of the trial, Fofana admitted to having stabbed and set fire to Halimi, pouring flammable liquid over him and setting it alight.

Halimi's family lawyers say the young man was targeted because he was Jewish. Critics say French police initially ignored the possibility of anti-Semitic motives in the killing, which, as the case wore on, prompted fears of resurgent anti-Semitism in France.

"We hope for an exemplary, very dissuasive sentencing," said Sammy Ghozlan, who heads the National Bureau of Awareness against Anti-Semitism, a nongovernment group.

Ghozlan argued that authorities should do more to prevent the spread of racism and anti-Semitism in impoverished French suburbs, where the hatred of Israel is triggering anti-Jewish action.

Tensions have erupted at various points during the trial.

One of Fofana's lawyer, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, said at the time that her client was mistreated by a political and religious marketing campaign.

Fofana fled to Ivory Coast after the killing. He was arrested there and extradited to France.

According to the investigation, Fofana's Group of Barbarians had allegedly tried to kidnap other people before Halimi, including Jews, with the intent of demanding ransom.

Halimi's body was reburied in a cemetery in Jerusalem in 2007.


Related articles:
  • Mother of slain French Jew Ilan Halimi calls for public trial
  • Jewish teen tortured in French town where Ilan Halimi was killed
  • 27 go on trial over killing of French Jew Ilan Halimi
    • PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
    Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Historic victory
    Israel reaches Davis Cup tennis semifinals after historic upset win over Russia
    PA's failed leaders
    Uzi Arad tells Haaretz: There is no Palestinian Sadat, no Palestinian Mandela
      1.   27 people 00:04  |  Arnold 11/07/09
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    hotel Jerusalem
    David Citadel Hotel, come stay at the finest of Jerusalem hotels.
    ISRAEL ARMY SURPLUS STORE
    IDF insignia,Uniforms, Paladium Boots Watches, Israel Army T-shirts & Collectibles
    Dead Sea Skin Care
    Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    More Headlines
    11:57 Netanyahu calls for immediate peace talks with Abbas
    12:01 Palestinians reject any U.S.-Israel deal on settlements
    12:08 3 years after Lebanon War, IDF warns of Hezbollah rearmament
    13:34 WATCH: The Israel cell phone ad that has Facebook group crying 'racist'
    08:31 Obama eyes progress in Syria ties despite 'troubling behavior'
    06:30 Zvi Bar'el / Will warmer U.S.-Syria ties lead Israel to cede Golan?
    11:39 Rolling Stones joins line-up of top rock stars to perform Israel
    22:16 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel
    02:10 Gaza conflict sparks billboard battle in Texas
    09:00 Gideon Levy / Livni must wake up if she wants to end the occupation
    08:11 1982 memo shows Israel learned little from first Lebanon War
    06:33 One hundred Gaza widows remarry in mass Hamas ceremony
    09:38 Netanyahu to Israel tennis team: You put Israel back on the map
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
    | Israel 2009 election results | Makom: Engaging on Israel
    | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved