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French Court Decides to Release Lebanese Activist Georges Abdallah After Over Thirty Years in Prison
On Thursday, the French judiciary ordered the release of Lebanese activist and pro-Palestinian supporter Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who was sentenced in 1987 for his involvement in the assassination of an Israeli diplomat and an American. Abdallah is considered one of the longest-incarcerated prisoners in France, according to a judicial source.
Abdallah, who is 74 years old, is scheduled to be released on July 25. The decision was made by an appeal court during an ex parte hearing at the Palace of Justice in Paris. He is currently held at La Santé Prison in the Île-de-France region of southern France.
In 1987, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 1982 murder of an American and an Israeli diplomat. Although he became eligible for parole 25 years ago, 12 requests for his release were all rejected.
Abdallah, who has never admitted to involvement in the attacks, justifies his actions as part of resistance against "Israeli and American repression" in the context of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) and the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978.
He led a small group of Lebanese secularists, Marxists, and Palestinian supporters known as the "Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions," which disbanded and has not committed any acts of violence since the 1980s.
In Lebanon, his brother, Rober Abdallah, expressed his joy over the decision, stating that he never expected "the day would come when he would be free." He added to AFP: "We are very happy with this decision, and I never thought the French judiciary would issue such a ruling, allowing him to be liberated after their multiple attempts to block his release."
He further said, "French authorities have freed themselves from US and Israeli pressures through this decision."
