PARIS (JTA) — A French magazine featuring a handcuffed Jewish murder victim on its cover was ordered removed from sales racks.
A Paris judge ruled Wednesday in favor of Ilan Halimi’s family, which filed a complaint against the Choc monthly for “invasion of privacy” stemming from its June issue, according to the French daily Le Figaro.
Prosecutor Pauline Caby said the court’s ruling was “exceptional” because periodicals are rarely ordered to withdraw goods due to privacy complaints, the French news agency AFP reported.
“Since the photo is on the front page, no other measure would suffice to put an end to this obviously illicit” incident, said Caby, Le Figaro reported.
The photo of the 23-year-old Halimi was taken by his kidnappers, a gang called the Barbarians, and sent to the victim’s family as part of a threat demanding ransom money. Not long afterward Halimi was found naked, bound and beaten to the point of death beside subway tracks near Paris in February 2006. He died a short time later.
In the photo Halimi’s face is covered with silver masking tape, with an opening for air left around his bloodied nose. His hands are bound, and the arm of one kidnapper can be seen holding a black pistol to his head.
The gang is now on trial for kidnapping and murdering Halimi. Some of the 27 suspects, including leader Youssouf Fofana, also are accused of committing the crime from anti-Semitic motives.
Le Figaro reported that the Halimi family would be awarded about $55,000 in damages from Choc.
News kiosks have until Friday to take the magazine off their shelves, and will be fined $275 for every copy they sell before the deadline.
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