Sit-in marks 38 years since Georges Abdallah’s imprisonment
The United Campaign for the Liberation of Lebanese revolutionary Georges Abdallah stages a sit-in in front of the French Embassy in Beirut.
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A sit-in protest in front of the French embassy in Beirut.
The United Campaign for the Liberation of Lebanese revolutionary Georges Abdallah, alongside a number of activists, staged a sit-in in front of the French embassy in Beirut on Saturday.
The annual sit-in commemorates his arrest on October 24, 1984, and calls for his release, which has been constantly denied despite numerous judicial and political victories.
Abdallah has so far served 38 years in prison, which makes him the longest-held prisoner in Europe. He was accused of assassinating US and Israeli diplomats and was sentenced based on these accusations.
Abdallah completed the minimum portion of his life sentence in 1999, but French authorities denied his nine parole requests. The judiciary agreed several times to these requests, given that the French Interior Ministry planned on deporting him, but that decision was never taken.
Seven years after his latest parole request, the Lebanese revolutionary changed his strategy and is now back before the judiciary requesting that he be deported from France.
A member of the United Campaign for the Liberation of the Lebanese revolutionary, Mohamed Hoteit said: “On the 38th anniversary of Abdallah’s arrest, and in conjunction with a protest at the Lannemezan Prison in France, as well as rallies in several Arab and international capitals, including Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Palestine, we stand here in front of the French embassy to demand Abdallah’s release, which had been possible in 1999, but French authorities rejected his nine parole requests.”.
Manifestation à Lannemezan pour la libération de Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, militant libanais pro-palestinien enfermé depuis 38 ans et libérable depuis 1999 ! Liberté pour Abdallah et pour le peuple palestinien 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/78x6mS2cT1
— Solidaires Étudiant·e·s Pau - Béarn (@SESLPau) October 22, 2022
#تونس... مظاهرة أمام السفارة الفرنسية تدعو للإفراج عن المناضل الأممي جورج عبد الله المعتقل في السجون الفرنسية
— Catherine Daher (@CatherineDaher) October 22, 2022
*للإطلاع على الخبر اضغط عبر الرابط أدناه:https://t.co/6vHImTM9b7#الحرية_لجورج_عبدالله #LibertéGoergeAbdallah #FreeGeorgesAbdallah@FreeGIAbdallah @Collectif_PV #Tunis pic.twitter.com/AXPX1SRLGp
“A decision to release Abdallah was made in 2003, but it was put on hold due to a political decision made by the French government, as well as clear, public, and explicit pressure from the US - 'Israel's' biggest ally,” he added.
A Wikileaks document about former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's leaked emails revealed that between January 10-14, 2015, she sent an email to former French Minister of Foreign Laurent Fabius, saying that “although the French Government has no legal authority to overturn the Court of Appeal’s January 10 decision, we hope French officials might find another basis to challenge the decision’s legality."
In other words, the US ordered the French government to stomp over its legal system and over the principle of separation of powers.
Read more: France's 'robust' ties with "Israel" keep Georges Abdallah in prison
Atef Al-Ibrik, a leading member of the People's Democratic Party, stated that "it is forbidden to release Abdallah since it will be considered as a victory for the Resistance whether in Lebanon or Palestine."
Addressing French President Emmanuel Macron, the campaign questioned how the latter “urges Ukrainians to resist, supplying them with lethal weapons, despite the fact that Ukraine is thousands of kilometers far from his country while condemning just cause of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah."
In his only statement in regard to the war in Ukraine, Abdallah underlined the hypocrisy of the imperialist camp, notably by turning a blind eye to the presence of neo-Nazi Ukrainian battalions, while criminalizing pro-Palestinian movements.
