France's Justice Minister said Monday that the prosecution will appeal the sentences of gang members who kidnapped, tortured and killed a young French Jew, arguing that they were too lenient.

Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said she instructed the Paris prosecutor to appeal the sentences against members of the self-styled gang of barbarians, who were convicted on Friday for the killing of Ilan Halimi, a crime that drew widespread attention for its brutality.

The Paris Prosecutor's Office said it will appeal sentences that were lighter than requested. Sentences for the 27 members of the gang ranged from life in prison to 6 months behind bars to acquittal, in the case of two people.

The gang's leader, Youssouf Fofana, was sentenced Friday to the maximum penalty under French law: life in prison with 22 years before parole can be considered. His two main accomplices were sentenced to 18 and 15 years. But several other gang members received sentences of about 10 years, slightly less than what prosecutor wanted.

Before Alliot-Marie's request for an appeal, chief prosecutor Philippe Bilger told France Inter radio that he felt the sentencing had been fair.

"From my point of view, the verdict was an exemplary one, as were the debates and the trial as a whole," Bilger said.

He dismissed criticism from some Jewish groups who found the sentences too lenient, saying it was normal for accomplices to be handed lighter sentences.

But Halimi's mother, Ruth, said she felt that justice was not served.

"I'm quite disappointed, not to say appalled," Ruth Halimi told Europe-1 radio on Monday. "I don't see how these sentences can be viewed as exemplary," she said.

Halimi, who was held captive for more than three weeks, 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.

His horrific death revived worries in France about anti-Semitism, considered an aggravating circumstance in this case, and led to deep anxiety in France's Jewish community, the largest in western Europe.

His killers' trial, which began April 29, was held behind closed doors in a juvenile court because two of the defendants were minors at the time of the attack.

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