France to Release Georges Abdallah After 41 Years

Beirut - A French court on Thursday ordered the conditional release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, ending more than 41 years of detention in France.

Abdallah, a prominent figure in resistance movements and a staunch advocate for the Palestinian cause, is set to be released on July 25, according to his defense lawyer Jean-Louis Chalanset. The decision marks the conclusion of a decades-long legal and political battle over his continued imprisonment.

Chalanset confirmed that political interference--particularly from the United States--delayed legal proceedings that should have led to Abdallah's release much earlier.

"The United States exerted pressure to obstruct the legal process leading to his release," he said, describing the case as a political issue rather than a purely judicial one.

Chalanset called Abdallah the longest-held political prisoner in Europe and emphasized, "He has never renounced his convictions."

He also accused U.S. authorities of lobbying the Paris court to reject the 74-year-old's release request, framing the outcome as "a political victory--even after nearly 41 years in detention--against the United States."

Abdallah has refused to pay any form of compensation as a condition of his release, remaining firm in his longstanding refusal to concede to demands he considers politically motivated.

He has long been eligible for release under French law. In November, an enforcement court ruled in favor of his release, concluding that he "no longer poses a serious threat if released."

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.

But anti-terror prosecutors opposed the move, arguing that he had not changed his political views and appealed the decision which was subsequently suspended.

His brother, Robert Abdallah said: "The obstruction of his release was the result of political pressure from the United States on France."

The case of Georges Abdallah is considered one of the most politically charged detention cases in modern French history.

Arrested in 1984 and sentenced to life in 1987, he has been eligible for parole since 1999. Despite repeated legal victories and backing from international human rights organizations, successive French governments--under pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv--refused to approve his release.

He was 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.

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.

Chalanset said Abdallah plans to return to Lebanon upon release and will continue to support the Palestinian struggle and oppose Israeli occupation of his homeland.