After 40 Years in French Prison, Lebanese Militant Georges Abdallah to be Freed

A French appeals court has ordered the conditional release of Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah after 40 years in prison, making him one of the longest-serving prisoners in France. [5, 8, 11] The 74-year-old is scheduled to be freed on July 25, on the condition that he be deported to Lebanon and never return to France. [5, 6, 7] His brother, Robert Abdallah, expressed joy and surprise at the decision, stating, "For once, the French authorities have freed themselves from Israeli and US pressures." [5, 11] Abdallah was arrested in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for complicity in the 1982 murders of U.S. military attaché Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris. [3, 6, 9] He was also convicted for the attempted assassination of U.S. Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984. [3, 9] Abdallah was the alleged leader of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), an offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). [3, 4, 15] Throughout his imprisonment, Abdallah has maintained that he is a "fighter" for Palestinian rights and not a "criminal". [8, 10, 15] Eligible for parole since 1999, Abdallah's previous eleven requests for release were denied, largely due to opposition from the United States, which is a civil party to the case. [5, 8, 15] A French court had granted his release in November on the condition that he leave France, but the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office appealed the decision. [3, 5, 8] The latest court ruling described his lengthy detention as "disproportionate" and stated that he no longer posed a danger to the public. [10] For decades, numerous campaigns in Lebanon and France have called for Abdallah's release, viewing him as a "political prisoner." [13, 17, 18] These efforts included regular demonstrations, and diplomatic requests from Lebanese officials. [13, 18] His lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, hailed the court's decision as "both a judicial victory and a political scandal that he was not released earlier." [5, 7, 8] The French Foreign Ministry, however, reiterated its solidarity with the victims' families and described Abdallah's actions as "heinous terrorist acts." [3] Upon his release, Abdallah is expected to be flown to Beirut. [3, 8] His lawyer has stated that Abdallah wishes to return to his home village of Qoubaiyat in northern Lebanon. [3] The Lebanese authorities have indicated they would organize his return and that he would be "welcome" in the country. [5, 10]