UPDATED: Tens of Lebanese welcome Pro-Palestinian militant released after 40 years in French jail - Region
French authorities deported Abdallah a day earlier than expected in what Al-Mayadeen described as an attempt to disrupt the planned reception and celebrations. The outlet referred to Abdallah as a 'revolutionary activist'.
A post on X by the network said: 'After 41 years in a French prison, Lebanese revolutionary and activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah has finally been freed. Today, he arrived in Beirut, reuniting with his family and comrades, as countless supporters have long awaited his return.'
'Despite relentless Western pressure to trade his political principles for his legal right to freedom, Abdallah never caved in, choosing to spend most of his life behind bars rather than abandon the cause he stands for,' it added.
Supporters gathered outside the airport, waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags and chanting in support of Abdallah.
Some banged on drums and held up Palestinian and Lebanese Communist Party flags and a banner reading, 'George Abdallah is free — a Lebanese, Palestinian and international freedom fighter on the road to liberating Palestine,' AP reported.
🇱🇧 DIRECT I Le monde continue d'arriver devant l'aéroport de Beyrouth en soutien à Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. L'ancien prisonnier politique, enfermé pendant 41 ans, devrait arriver dans les prochaines minutes. Enorme émotion sur place. pic.twitter.com/bMUQ2Ba2sr — Révolution Permanente (@RevPermanente) July 25, 2025
Abdallah, a former leader of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions, was convicted in France in 1987 over the 1982 assassinations of a US military attaché and an Israeli diplomat. He became eligible for release in 1999 but remained imprisoned amid political opposition from successive French governments, under pressure from the United States and Israel.
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