France Court Orders Release Of Lebanese Militant After 40 Years In Jail
Abdallah, 74, is one of the longest-serving prisoners in France, where most convicts on life sentences are freed after less than 30 years.
He has been up for release for 25 years, but the United States -- a civil party to the case -- has consistently opposed him leaving prison.
Abdallah was detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of US military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.
Lebanese of Maronite Christian heritage, he has always insisted he is not a "criminal" but a "fighter" for the rights of Palestinians, whom he said were targeted, along with Lebanon, by the United States and Israel.
The Paris Appeals Court ordered he be freed from a prison in the south of France on July 25, on condition that he leave French territory and never return.
It said the length of his detention had been "disproportionate" and that he no longer represented a danger to the public.
Several sources before the hearing said that it was planned for him to be flown to Paris and then to Beirut.
Prosecutors can file an appeal with France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, but any such request is not expected to be processed fast enough to halt his release next week.
The detainee's brother, Robert Abdallah, in Lebanon told AFP he was overjoyed.
"We're delighted. I didn't expect the French judiciary to make such a decision nor for him to ever be freed, especially after so many failed requests for release," he said.
"For once, the French authorities have freed themselves from Israeli and US pressure," he added.
Lebanese authorities have repeatedly said Abdallah should be freed from jail, and had written to the appeals court to say they would organise his return home.
Abdallah's lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset also welcomed the decision, calling it a "political scandal he was not released earlier".
Israel's embassy in Paris meanwhile released a statement saying it regretted the decision to release Abdallah.
"Such terrorists, enemies of the free world, should spend their life in prison," it said.
Lebanon's charge d'affaires in Paris, Ziad Taan, told AFP the country was "extremely satisfied" by the decision, adding that Abdallah will be "welcome" in Lebanon.
In November last year, a French court ordered Abdallah to be released on condition that he leave France.
But France's anti-terror prosecutors, arguing that he had not changed his political views, appealed the decision, which was suspended.
A verdict was supposed to have been delivered in February, but the Paris appeals court postponed it over compensation payments.
The court re-examined the latest request for his release last month.
During the closed-door hearing, Abdallah's lawyer told the judges that 16,000 euros had been placed in the prisoner's bank account at the disposal of civil parties in the case, including the United States, according to several sources who attended.
Abdallah was wounded as a teenager when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 in the early years of the country's civil war.
As an adult, he founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a Marxist pro-Syria and anti-Israel group that has now been dissolved.
After his arrest in 1984, French police discovered submachine guns and transceiver stations in one of his Paris apartments.
The appeals court in February however noted that the FARL "had not committed a violent action since 1984" and that Abdallah "today represented a past symbol of the Palestinian struggle".
Lebanon hosts tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to the United Nations, most descendants of those who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948. He is to be released from the Lannemezan prison in southern France next week AFP Georges Abdallah, here seen in 2010, had been denied multiple previous requests for release AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
6 hours ago
- DW
Taiwan votes in high-stakes recall election – DW – 07/26/2025
Taiwan has started voting on whether to recall around one-fifth of its parliament, all from the major opposition party. Voters in Taiwan are casting their ballots on whether to recall 24 lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party and hold by-elections for their seats. The high-stakes referendum could give President Lai Ching-te's DPP party control of the parliament after it lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections despite Lai winning the presidential race. This is the first mass recall in Taiwan's history, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing a second recall election in August. KMT, which has a total of 52 parliamentary seats, advocates for closer economic ties with China. Its critics accuse the KMT lawmakers of being pro-Communist and beholden to China. The KMT, which controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), has slammed the unprecedented recall effort as a power grab. The KMT, together with the TPP has obstructed Lai's agenda wherever possible. This includes slashing Taiwan's defense budget and freezing other defense funds at a time when the threat from China is growing. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video They have also pushed controversial reforms to expand parliament's powers. These led to brawls in the legislature and massive street protests — and spurred civic groups to launch the recall campaign. Under Taiwan's election laws, signatures from 10% of a district's registered voters are required to hold a recall vote. For a KMT lawmaker to lose their seat, the number of votes in favor of recalling them must exceed those against and turnout must exceed 25% of registered voters. The DPP needs recalls of at least 12 KMT lawmakers to gain temporary control of the parliament. China has loomed large over the recall vote. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council warned earlier in the week of "visible evidence" China was trying to interfere in the election process. China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control. Polls close at 4 p.m. Taiwan time (0800 UTC/GMT), and results should become clear later in the evening.
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
UN Gathering Eyes Solution To Deadlocked Palestinian Question
Fired by France's imminent recognition of Palestinian statehood, UN members meet next week to breathe life into the push for a two-state solution as Israel, expected to be absent, presses its war in Gaza. Days before the July 28-30 conference on fostering Israeli and Palestinian states living peacefully side-by-side to be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September. His declaration "will breathe new life into a conference that seemed destined to irrelevance," said Richard Gowan, an analyst at International Crisis Group. "Macron's announcement changes the game. Other participants will be scrabbling to decide if they should also declare an intent to recognize Palestine." According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states -- including France -- now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states -- one Jewish and the other Arab. The following year, the State of Israel was proclaimed, and for several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution: Israeli and Palestinian, living side-by-side peacefully and securely. But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and senior Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could be geographically impossible. The war in Gaza started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives. The New York conference is a response to the crisis, with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several dozen ministers from around the world expected to attend. The meeting comes as a two-state solution is "more threatened than it has ever been (but) even more necessary than before, because we see very clearly that there is no alternative," said a French diplomatic source. Beyond facilitating conditions for recognition of a Palestinian state, the meeting will have three other focuses -- reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states that have not yet done so. The diplomatic source warned that no announcement of new normalization deals was expected next week. Ahead of the conference, which was delayed from June, Britain said it would not recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally and would wait for "a wider plan" for peace in the region. Macron has also not yet persuaded Germany to follow suit and recognize a Palestinian state in the short term. The conference "offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an achievable plan and to demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all, for the benefit of all peoples," said the Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling for "courage" from participants. Israel and the United States will not take part in the meeting. Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon "has announced that Israel will not be taking part in this conference, which doesn't first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the remaining hostages," according to embassy spokesman Jonathan Harounoff. As international pressure continues to mount on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take to the podium from Monday to Wednesday. Gowan said he expected "very fierce criticism of Israel." French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September AFP
Int'l Business Times
7 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Polls Open In Taiwan's High-stakes Recall Election
Taiwanese voters turned out at schools, churches and community centres on Saturday to cast their ballot in a high-stakes recall election that could give President Lai Ching-te's party control of the parliament. Supporters of Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are seeking to unseat 31 lawmakers belonging to the main opposition Kuomintang party, who they accuse of being pro-China and a security threat. The KMT, which wants closer ties with Beijing, controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and has slammed the unprecedented recall effort as a power grab. Polling stations opened around Taiwan at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) with 24 KMT lawmakers facing potential recall. Elections for another seven KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23. Both major parties held rain-soaked rallies in the days leading up to the critical vote, which has dominated Taiwanese politics, newspaper headlines and social media feeds for months. While Lai won the presidential election in 2024, his DPP party lost its majority in parliament. Since then, the KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Lai's agenda, and slashed or frozen parts of the government's budget. Contentious opposition bills, including an attempt to expand parliament's powers, sparked brawls in the legislature and massive street protests -- and spurred civic groups to launch the recall campaign. The DPP needs a minimum of 12 KMT lawmakers recalled to gain temporary control of the parliament, with risk analysis firm Eurasia Group giving that outcome "a 60 percent probability". Lai's party would then need to flip six seats in by-elections later this year to cement its dominance in the 113-seat parliament -- which analysts say would be a formidable challenge. Whatever the result of the recall and by-elections, analyst Lev Nachman said political divisions in Taiwan were certain to deepen. "The way that the recalls have played out have been perhaps some of the most divisive language used towards both camps that I think I've ever seen," Nachman, a political scientist and longtime observer of Taiwan, told AFP. In recent months, KMT chairman Eric Chu has compared Lai's government to Hitler's Nazi regime, while Lai has spoken of "removing impurities" to defend Taiwan's sovereignty. Beijing has loomed large over the recall vote, with Taipei warning of "visible evidence" that China was trying to interfere in the process. Communist China has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control. For a KMT lawmaker to lose their seat, the number of votes in favour of recalling them must exceed those against and also be more than 25 percent of the total number of registered voters in the electorate. Turnout will be critical and both sides have been lobbying their supporters for weeks to get out to vote before polling stations close.
