Outraged with France's final court of appeal's verdict in the Sarah Halimi murder, the Union of Democrats and Independents Party announced Wednesday it would establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate the Jewish pensioner's murder.
The facts of the case are not in dispute; Halimi, a former kindergarten director was beaten in her Paris apartment before the assailant - Kobili Traore, her Muslim neighbor - tossed the 65-year-old out of the window.
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The Jewish community holds a protest in front of the Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, California to demand justice for Sarah Halimi, April 25, 2021
(Photo: AFP)
Traore yelled "Allahu akbar" (God is great) while committing the crime but France’s final court of appeal on criminal cases - in April 2021 - upheld a previous court verdict that he was not criminally responsible for the killing because he had carried it out during a psychotic episode, brought on through the prolonged use of cannabis.
In France, all political parties are allowed, once per year, to initiate a parliamentary commission of inquiry. French-Israeli parliamentarian Meyer Habib initiated his party’s request to form the commission into the Halimi murder and was appointed to spearhead it, according to Israel Hayom.
The court's verdict sparked outrage in France and across the Jewish world. French President Emmanuel Macron pressed for a change in the law, reasoning that "going crazy" after excessive drug use did not absolve an individual of criminal responsibility.
“I’m thrilled to announce that in a few weeks, a parliamentary commission of inquiry will be formed to look into the deficiencies surrounding the case of Sarah Halimi,” said Habib.
“I will do… everything in my power to expose the truth,” he added.
Republished with permission from i24NEWS