Latest news with #Abdallah
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
France court orders release of Lebanese militant after 40 years in jail
A French appeals court Thursday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, imprisoned for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats. 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 his release. Abdallah was detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of U.S. 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 that 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 stated that the length of his detention had been "disproportionate" and that he no longer posed a danger to the public. On Thursday, Abdallah told left-wing deputy Andree Taurinya, who visited him in prison, that his liberation was the result of efforts by his supporters. "The fact that they agreed to free me is thanks to this growing mobilisation," he told the MP, in the presence of an AFP reporter. Several sources reported that he was to be flown to Paris and then to Beirut. Prosecutors can file an appeal with France's highest court, but any such request is not expected to be processed fast enough to halt his release next week. 'Delighted' 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 U.S. pressure," he added. Lebanese authorities have repeatedly stated that Abdallah should be released from jail and have written to the appeals court to say they would organize his return home. Abdallah's lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, also welcomed the decision, calling it a "political scandal " that Abdallah 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 lives in prison," it said. Lebanon's charge d'affaires in Paris, Ziad Taan, told AFP that the country was "extremely satisfied" with the decision, adding that Abdallah would 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. 'Past symbol' The court re-examined the latest request for his release last month. During the closed-door hearing, Abdallah's lawyer informed the judges that 16,000 euros had been deposited into 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.
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Georges Abdallah to walk free after 41 years in French prison
Shafaq News – Paris A French appeals court has approved the release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese leftist activist imprisoned for 41 years over the killings of two diplomats in the early 1980s. His conditional release, set for July 25, 2025, comes after decades of legal delays, international pressure, and repeated parole blockages. Abdallah, now 74, is one of Europe's longest-held prisoners. He was arrested in Lyon on October 24, 1984, and later sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the assassinations of US military attaché Charles R. Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Bar-Simantov, both gunned down in Paris in 1982. French authorities also linked Abdallah to an attempted assassination targeting a US consul in Strasbourg in 1984. A former teacher and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Abdallah co-founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a Marxist-Leninist group that coordinated attacks in France during the early 1980s. The group claimed responsibility for the killings, citing retaliation for US and Israeli operations in Lebanon. Although Abdallah became eligible for parole in 1999, his release has been consistently blocked by French authorities, often following US diplomatic intervention. In both 2003 and late 2024, French courts approved his conditional release based on deportation to Lebanon. Each time, prosecutors appealed the decisions, invoking new anti-reoffending laws and citing his lack of remorse. On Thursday, however, a Paris appeals court ruled that Abdallah may be freed and expelled from France, provided he never returns. His attorney, Jean-Louis Chalanset, confirmed that Abdallah plans to return to Lebanon. The court based its decision on his "irreproachable" prison record and judged that he no longer posed a threat of engaging in terrorist activity. The decision remains subject to further appeal, but legal experts say there is little time for France's Court of Cassation to intervene before his scheduled release. Abdallah's case has long divided opinion. Supporters in Lebanon and parts of the international left regard him as a political prisoner and a symbol of resistance. The United States and Israel, however, continue to regard him as a terrorist who orchestrated politically motivated murders.
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Hezbollah says Abdallah's unjust detention 'stain on French judiciary'
by Naharnet Newsdesk 18 July 2025, 12:03 Hezbollah has welcomed the decision of a French appeals court to release pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, imprisoned for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats. The injustice suffered by Georges Abdallah would remain a stain on the record of the French judicial and political system, Hezbollah said in a statement Thursday. The group said it hoped the court decision would be implemented amid fears of American and Israeli pressure. 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. 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 U.S. military attaché 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. On Thursday, Abdallah told left-wing deputy Andree Taurinya, who visited him in prison, that his liberation was the result of efforts by his supporters. "The fact that they accepted to free me is thanks to this growing mobilization," he told the MP, in the presence of an AFP reporter. 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, but any such request is not expected to be processed fast enough to halt his release next week. - 'Delighted' - 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 U.S. 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 organize his return home. Abdallah's lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset also welcomed the decision, calling it a "political scandal he was not released earlier". 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. - 'Past symbol' - 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.
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
France court orders release of Georges Ibrahim after 40 years in jail
PARIS: A French appeals court Thursday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, imprisoned for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats. 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.
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Church attack will hit Gaza's Catholic community 'terribly'
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