Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A French appeals court ruled Thursday for the release from jail of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah. He is a Lebanese militant who has been incarcerated for nearly 40 years for the 1982 attacks on US and Israeli diplomats in France.
In 1987, former commander of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Brigade (LARB) Abdallah received a life sentence for the 1982 murders of American military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov and the 1984 attempted murder of American diplomat Robert Homme in Strasbourg.
What are the conditions of Abdallah’s upcoming freedom?
The Paris Appeals Court has ruled on his release from a southern French prison for next week, on Friday, July 25, provided he leaves French territory and does not return. Abdallah is among the longest-serving prisoners in France, since most life-sentence convicts are released after
under 30 years.
Why has the us opposed Abdallah’s release repeatedly?
The United States has always opposed Georges Ibrahim Abdallah’s release during his time in prison. U.S. agencies have made frequent representations to French judicial and political authorities to reject Abdallah’s parole or deportation as a civil party to the case, since an American diplomat was a victim.
In particular, U.S. officials have voiced strenuous concerns about Abdallah’s unapologetic political position, and have further asked what message their peers in the international community would be receiving by releasing a person who has been convicted of such serious offenses. Even in Abdallah’s recent hearings, the U.S. sent a few formal letters urging French judges to “vigorously oppose” Abdallah’s release.
What has been Lebanon’s stance on his imprisonment?
Since 2018, the Lebanese authorities have steadily requested Abdallah’s release. Officials have referred to Abdallah’s ongoing imprisonment as a national issue, a humanitarian issue, and even as a political issue in various diplomatic communications and public addresses.
Lebanese officials stress that Abdallah has served a fairly long penalty, relative to other individuals, for similar convictions in France. They have assured to accept him after deportation, which is a provision for any release ordered by the French courts.
How does Abdallah justify his past militant actions?
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah has routinely referred to his acts as a political struggle as opposed to criminal activity. In his court appearances and in statements made whenever possible, he has declared:
“I am a fighter, not a criminal”.
He believes he has followed a path as a result of “the human rights violations in place against the Palestinians,” which he claims has led him to armed resistance.
