Lawyers for sister of Sarah Halimi announce lawsuit under Israeli law to convict antisemitic murderer after French court rules he cannot be held responsible

Lawyers for the sister of murdered retired doctor and schoolteacher Sarah Halimi have announced that they will be bringing a lawsuit under Israeli law to convict her antisemitic murderer, Kobili Traoré, after France’s highest court ruled he cannot be held responsible for his actions because he was high on cannabis.

Dr Halimi’s sister, Esther Lekover, is an Israeli citizen and the lawyers stated that they intend to make use of an Israeli law that allows them to take action over the murder even though it was committed outside of Israel.

French lawyers Gilles-William Goldnadel and Francis Szpiner said in a statement in French that they: “deplore being forced to make use of this procedure, but cannot accept a denial of justice which tramples reason and justice, reaching far beyond the Jewish community of France.”

In 2017, Dr Halimi, a 65-year-old retired schoolteacher found Mr Traoré in her Paris apartment. He had reportedly subjected her to years of abuse. Mr Traoré savagely beat Dr Halimi, shouting “Allahu akhbar” and then hurled her from her window to her death, shouting “I killed the Shaitan [demon]”.

For months, French authorities refused to admit the antisemitic nature of his crime. Dr Halimi’s murderer, a violent drug dealer, claimed that he had felt “possessed” because he was high on cannabis and should not be held responsible.

France’s highest court has now ruled in his favour, meaning that in France today, it is possible to be sentenced to a year in prison for throwing a dog from a window, but if you hurl a Jew to their death whilst on drugs, you walk free.

In addition to the lawsuit being filed in Israel, Dr Halimi’s family is considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a change in the law.

For years, France has gradually betrayed its Jews by allowing antisemitism to run rampant, putting French Jews in fear. This Sunday 25th April, to coincide with demonstrations in France, we will rally outside the Embassy of France in London to stand in solidarity with French Jews. By agreement with the authorities, due to COVID-19 restrictions, only those who have registered to attend will be permitted entry to the enclosure. Capacity is limited, so please only register if you are certain you can attend.