Latest news with #Jean-LouisChalanset
Euronews
3 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
France to release Lebanese militant Abdallah after 40 years in prison
A French court ordered the conditional release of a Lebanese leftist militant on Thursday after more than 40 years in detention in France. Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled that Abdallah, who has been imprisoned in France since his arrest in 1984, can be released next Friday, provided he leaves France and never returns, judicial authorities stated. His lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, told reporters that Abdallah wants to return to Lebanon upon his release and remains "a communist militant who supports the Palestinian struggle and fights against the invasion of his country by Israel." He described Abdallah as the longest-held political prisoner in Europe. "He has never renounced his convictions," Chalanset said, adding that US authorities had lobbied the Paris court to reject the 74-year-old's release request. "So it's also a political victory, even after nearly 41 years in detention, against the United States." 'Political scandal' Abdallah's lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset welcomed the decision, saying, "It's both a judicial victory and a political scandal that he was not released earlier." A French court ordered Abdallah's release in November of last year, conditional on his departure from France. But anti-terror prosecutors opposed the move, arguing that he had not changed his political views and appealed the decision which was subsequently suspended. A verdict was supposed to have been delivered in February, but a Paris appeals court postponed a decision, saying it was unclear if Abdallah could prove he had paid compensation to the plaintiffs, something he has consistently refused to do. Abdallah has always refused to acknowledge his involvement in the assassinations of the diplomats, describing them instead as "acts of resistance" against "Israeli and American oppression" and considering himself a political prisoner. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov. At the last hearing on 19 June, the appeals court ruled in favour of his release on the grounds that the length of his detention was "disproportionate" to the crimes committed. The court said his release will allow him to return to Lebanon and "finish his days" in his village in the north of the country, adding that he no longer posed a risk of disturbing public order.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
French court orders release of Lebanese militant who killed diplomats
A French court ordered the conditional release of a Lebanese pro-Palestinian communist militant on Thursday after more than 40 years in detention in France. Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled Abdallah, who has been imprisoned in France since his arrest in 1984, can be released next Friday on the condition that he leaves France and never returns, judicial authorities said. His lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, told reporters that Abdallah wants to return to Lebanon upon his release and remains "a communist militant who supports the Palestinian struggle and fights against the invasion of his country by Israel." He described Abdallah as the longest-held political prisoner in Europe. "He has never renounced his convictions," Chalanset said, adding that US authorities had lobbied the Paris court to reject the 74-year-old's release request. "So it's also a political victory, even after nearly 41 years in detention, against the United States." 'Political scandal' Abdallah's lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset welcomed the decision, saying "It's both a judicial victory and a political scandal that he was not released earlier." A French court ordered Abdallah's release in November last year, conditional on him leaving France. But anti-terror prosecutors opposed the move, arguing that he had not changed his political views and appealed the decision which was subsequently suspended. A verdict was supposed to have been delivered in February, but a Paris appeals court postponed a decision, saying it was unclear if Abdallah could prove he had paid compensation to the plaintiffs, something he has consistently refused to do. Abdallah has always refused to acknowledge his involvement in the assassinations of the diplomats, describing them instead as "acts of resistance" against "Israeli and American oppression" and considering himself a political prisoner. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of US military US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov. At the last hearing on 19 June, the appeals court ruled in favour of his release on the grounds that the length of his detention was "disproportionate" to the crimes committed. The court said his release will allow him to return to Lebanon and "finish his days" in his village in the north of the country, adding that he no longer posed a risk of disturbing public order.
France 24
19-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
French court to rule on freeing Lebanese militant
The Paris appeals court, initially set to deliver its verdict in February before postponing, will now announce its decision on July 17 after re-examining the request on Thursday. "I told the judges, either you release him or you sentence him to death," his lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset told the media after the closed-door hearing. Abdallah, 74, was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the murders of US military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov. He has been eligible for release for 25 years, but has seen multiple requests for his freedom denied. The United States, a civil party to the case, has consistently opposed his release but Lebanese authorities have repeatedly said he should be freed from jail. In November 2024, a French court ordered his release conditional on Abdallah leaving France. But France's anti-terror prosecutors, arguing that he had not changed his political views, appealed the decision which was consequently suspended. Abdallah has always insisted he is a "fighter" who battled for the rights of Palestinians and not a "criminal". The appeals court said in February the decision to postpone was prompted by the unresolved question of whether Abdallah had proof that he had paid compensation to the plaintiffs, something he has consistently refused to do. His lawyer said on Thursday he presented documents showing some 16,000 euros ($18,360) in Abdallah's prison account "at the disposal of civil parties". First detained in 1984 and convicted in 1987 over the murders, the 74-year-old is one of the longest serving prisoners in France -- most convicts serving life sentences are freed after less than 30 years.
