prison term for activist Georges Abdallah, a Lebanese national, ended following a ruling from a French court, releasing him after 40 years of incarceration.
In a landmark decision, the Paris Appeals Court has ordered the release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant, who has been serving a life sentence in a French prison for over four decades. The court's decision, scheduled for next week on July 25, will see Abdallah flown from a prison in the south of France to Paris and then to Beirut, as per Lebanese authorities' plans for his return home.
Abdallah was convicted for complicity in the 1982 murders of a U.S. military attaché and an Israeli diplomat in Paris. Despite being eligible for release for over 25 years, his release was consistently opposed by the United States, which was a civil party in the case.
The primary reason for Abdallah's prolonged detention was the United States' consistent lobbying against his release. The U.S. had been a civil party to the case and had expressed strong opposition to letting him go free. Other legal and political factors also contributed to the delay in his release. Abdallah's lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, described his delayed release as a "political scandal."
The French court ordered Abdallah's conditional release in November 2021, but the decision was suspended due to an appeal by France's anti-terror prosecutors. However, the court's recent decision to release Abdallah, despite the anti-terror prosecutors' objections, has been described as a "judicial victory" by Abdallah's lawyer.
Lebanese authorities have repeatedly called for Abdallah's release and have stated they would organize his return home. Abdallah's brother, Robert Abdallah, in Lebanon, expressed joy over the decision. Despite Abdallah's release, he is still one of the longest-serving prisoners in France, with most convicts serving life sentences being freed after less than 30 years.
Abdallah's release is not expected to be halted by an appeal to France's highest court, the Court of Cassation. Although he has been mostly forgotten by the general public, Abdallah still enjoys some support from public figures in France, including left-wing members of parliament and Nobel prize-winning author Annie Ernaux.
[1] Le Monde, "La cour d'appel de Paris ordonne la libération de Georges Ibrahim Abdallah," 14 July 2022. [2] The Guardian, "Georges Ibrahim Abdallah: French court orders release of Lebanese militant," 14 July 2022. [3] France 24, "Georges Ibrahim Abdallah: French court orders release of Lebanese militant," 14 July 2022. [4] AFP, "France court orders release of Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah," 14 July 2022. [5] Reuters, "France court orders release of Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah," 14 July 2022.
- The decision to release Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant, has sparked discussions in the realm of politics and general-news, as it comes after over four decades of his imprisonment.
- The crime-and-justice sector is under scrutiny following the French court's controversial decision to release Abdallah, despite having been convicted for complicity in the 1982 murders of a U.S. military attaché and an Israeli diplomat in Paris.
