A French appeals court on Thursday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who has been imprisoned for 40 years for the 1982 killing of two diplomats.
Abdallah, aged 74, is one of the longest-serving inmates in the French penal system, where the majority of life-sentenced prisoners are typically released after serving fewer than 30 years.
He has been eligible for release for a quarter of a century, yet the United States - recognised as a civil party in the case—has persistently objected to his release.
Abdallah was arrested in 1984 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for his role in the assassinations of US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.
A Lebanese national of Maronite Christian background, Abdallah has always maintained that he is a “resistance fighter” who campaigned for Palestinian rights, rather than a “criminal”.
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Release and deportation
On Thursday, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that Abdallah is to be released from a prison facility in southern France on Friday, 25 July, under the condition that he be deported from French territory and never permitted to return.
The court deemed the length of his imprisonment “disproportionate” and stated that Abdallah no longer posed a threat to public safety.
According to several sources, plans are in place to transport Abdallah to Paris and subsequently to Beirut following his release.
Although prosecutors may appeal to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court, it is considered unlikely that such an appeal would be processed in time to delay his departure next week.
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Long-awaited decision
Speaking to AFP from Lebanon, Abdallah’s brother, Robert Abdallah, expressed profound relief.
“We are absolutely delighted. I never thought the French judiciary would take such a step or that he would ever be released, particularly after so many unsuccessful requests,” he said.
“For once, the French authorities have resisted Israeli and American pressure,” he added.
The Lebanese government has consistently advocated for Abdallah’s release and formally assured the appeals court of its readiness to facilitate his repatriation.
Abdallah’s solicitor, Jean-Louis Chalanset, also welcomed the ruling, describing it as “a political scandal that he was not released sooner”.
Symbol of a bygone era
In November of last year, a French court had already ruled in favour of his conditional release, requiring Abdallah to leave French soil.
However, this decision was suspended after the anti-terror prosecution appealed, citing concerns that Abdallah had not renounced his political beliefs.
A ruling was initially expected in February, but the court deferred its decision, citing uncertainty over whether Abdallah had provided proof of compensation payments to the plaintiffs—a point he has repeatedly declined to address.
Last month, the Paris appeals court re-examined the matter during a closed hearing.
According to multiple sources cited by French news agency AFP, Abdallah’s legal team informed the court that €16,000 had been deposited in his prison bank account, and those funds were available to the civil parties involved, including the United States.
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Abdallah, who is originally from northern Lebanon, was injured as a teenager during the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978, during the early years of the country’s civil war.
He later founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a Marxist, pro-Syrian and anti-Israeli group that has since disbanded.
Following his arrest in 1984, French authorities discovered submachine guns and communication equipment in one of his Paris residences.
Nevertheless, in February, the appeals court noted that the LARF had not been linked to any violent activity since 1984, and that Abdallah “today represents a historical symbol of the Palestinian cause”.
Lebanon is host to tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to United Nations figures—many of whom are descendants of those displaced during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
