Will France release Georges Abdallah any time soon?

By Abdallah debian, Al Mayadeen
Source: Al Mayadeen English
17 Jan 2025 21:32

Georges Abdallah has transpired as a symbol of resistance after enduring four decades behind bars, making his case one of the longest and most peculiar political struggles in modern history.

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Will France release Georges Abdallah any time soon?

The long decades of hardship in prison have not worn down the spirit of Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, nor have they weakened his resolve. Georges Abdallah transpired as a symbol of resistance after enduring four decades behind bars, making his case one of the longest and most peculiar political struggles in modern history.

The paradox is often posed as follows: Is it possible that the French judiciary would bow to American and Western pressures and Israeli lobbies, while Paris, which issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, is considered the "capital of human rights"?

New parole decision?

A recent decision to release Georges Abdallah on parole was registered in mid-November, making it the 11th requested to be accepted by the French judiciary since his imprisonment in 1948. Could this be the a ray of light to get Abdallah out of his prison cell?

His brother, Dr. Robert Abdallah, who is relying on the decision, told Al Mayadeen that the decision to release him, made on November 15, was appealed shortly after. The appeal session was scheduled for December 19, while the court's decision is expected to be made on February 20, 2025.

A French court has also approved a conditioned release request for Abdallah, whereas the National Counterterrorism Center said it would appeal the decision.

"The Court of Execution of Sentences allowed Georges Ibrahim Abdallah to be conditionally released from December 6 on the condition that he leave the national territory and not return to it," the prosecution said in a statement.

Washington takes on the role of private prosecutor

Europe's most renowned political prisoner does not despair and is not weighed down by the darkness of prison. Instead, he is always looking for a window of hope, but it is sufficient for him that the United States, Western countries, and behind them “Israel”, are exerting maximum effort to prevent him from gaining back his freedom.

According to Robert, his brother, "The United States of America is acting as a personal prosecutor against George. It has influence, whether in France or in Lebanon."

He further clarifies that it is a matter of "destroying the symbolic dimension of the activist Georges Abdallah," whcih explains the magnification in the US memo sent to court. It is generally considered that releasing him would destabilize the region, he said.

What could help the implementation of parole?

Robert also emphasized the merit of the Lebanese caretaker government's decision when it called on the French government last June to return George Abdallah to his homeland after amid the completion of his sentence. According to Georges' brother, it would later be learnt that the decision was unanimously made.

He emphasized that “follow-ups are being conducted in thisregard, and the family has positively commented on this resolution and continues to call for its implementation.”

Meanwhile, in the official scope, the caretaker Minister of Culture, Judge Mohammad Wissam al-Mortada, demanded that a request be sent to the French authorities to release the Lebanese activist, whose sentence has expired and whose illegal detention continues.

The minister's request came after the French authorities, through the Ministry of Justice in Lebanon, demanded the extradition of a French-Algerian citizen to be tried before the French judiciary.

On the popular and partisan levels, Robert said two humanitarian aspects exist: Human rights and activism. When it comes to human rights, there exists a Lebanese consensus on rejecting the injustice enforced on Georges Abdallah which simultaneously denounces the French administration's continuous annulment of its judicial decisions.

On the political and activist levels, the issue becomes related to the nature of the partisan and political trends in Lebanon.

Principles intact

Currently, Abdallah is monitoring the situation from his cell and remains in semi-permanent contact with his family. His brother revealed that Geroges has taken particular interest in details related to daily living and its conditions, particularly those related to health services for the elderly.

In addition, he does not overlook major issues that constitute the core of his principles, consistently expressing his solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, and condemning the chaos and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation.

He clarifies that "unfortunately, the issue has reached levels beyond normalization, especially after the Israeli army entered Syria. Currently, it seems that the competition is between forces that have normalized and those seeking normalization. As for the struggle and its effectiveness, that is a matter tied to one's principled stance against injustice, occupation, and the rights of peoples to self-determination."

Robert Abdallah emphasizes that "between the right of power and the power of right, there is an ongoing debate, and George is one of the fighters who has spent his life defending just causes."

A history of struggle

Georges Abdallah was born on April 2, 1951, in al-Qoubayat, Akkar District, northern Lebanon. He graduated in 1970 from the Teachers' Institute in Ashrafieh, Beirut.

He fought in the ranks of the Lebanese National Movement and later joined the Palestinian resistance, becoming a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Abdallah sustained injuries in 1978 during the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon.

The Israeli aggression, which was accompanied by global silence that bordered complicity, particularly with the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, sparked a wave of outrage among many Lebanese and Arab fighters.

As a result, the fighters mobilized and traveled across the world to track down Israelis in reaction to the devastating losses the occupation had inflicted on the Arab people, Georges Abdallah included.

On October 24, 1984, he was arrested by French authorities in Lyon, France, after the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, and some of its Lebanese collaborators pursued him. French security and judicial authorities justified his arrest solely on the possession of whatg they claimed to be forged identification papers. It would later be revealed that what Georges Abdallah possessed was a genuine Algerian passport.

What charges is Georges Abdallah facing?

Georges Abdallah was suspected of having founded the Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions and planning a series of operations, including:

The attempted assassination of Christian Addison Chapman, the second-ranking official at the U.S. Embassy in France, on November 12, 1981.
The assassination of Colonel Charles Ray, the military attaché at the US Embassy in France, on January 18, 1982.
The assassination of Yacov Barsimantovv, the second secretary at the Israeli Embassy in France, on April 3, 1982.
The bombing and explosion of the car of Roderick Grant, the commercial attaché at the US Embassy in France, on August 22, 1982.
The assassination of US diplomat Leamon Hunt, former director of international forces in Sinai, on February 15, 1984.
The attempted assassination of Robert Onan Homme, the US Consul General in Strasbourg, on March 26, 1984.

Abdallah's prison sentence ended in 1999, and he was granted a parole ruling in 2003. However, over 10 decisions for his release were rejected due to US interference.