Last week, the Paris Court of Appeals issued its decision to release the Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah on July 25, on the condition that he leave French territory and never return.
Abdallah, now 74 years old, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for allegedly being complicit in the assassination of an American and an Israeli diplomat in Paris in 1982. Despite having been eligible for conditional release for the past 25 years, 12 applications he submitted were rejected, making him one of the longest-held political prisoners in Europe.
Although the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office announced last Monday its intention to appeal the release before the Court of Cassation, this appeal does not suspend the execution of the ruling and therefore will not prevent Abdallah from leaving France and returning to his homeland.
The appellate judges deemed his continued detention “disproportionate” to the acts attributed to him, especially considering his advanced age, and stated that Abdallah had become “a symbol of the past for the Palestinian struggle.” Their ruling noted that the “Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions,” founded by Abdallah and composed of Marxist, secular, and pro-Palestinian militants, had not carried out any armed activity since 1984.
The judges regretted that Abdallah had shown no “remorse or sympathy for the victims,” but noted that he had expressed his desire to spend “the remainder of his days” in his village in northern Lebanon and possibly engage in local politics, emphasizing that he no longer posed a threat to public safety.
The Unbroken Life of a Militant
Georges Abdallah was wounded during the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978 and subsequently joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, led by George Habash. Later, along with members of his family, he founded the “Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions,” an anti-imperialist Marxist group that claimed responsibility for five targeted operations in Europe between 1981 and 1982, four of which resulted in fatalities in France.
In 1986, he was sentenced to four years in prison in Lyon for conspiracy and weapons possession. The following year, he was retried and convicted for complicity in the assassinations of U.S. diplomat Charles Ray and Israeli diplomat Yaakov Barsimentov, as well as the attempted assassination of a third diplomat in 1984.
Although French authorities later identified the real perpetrators of the attacks and established links to Iran, Abdallah remained imprisoned. He refused to admit guilt and framed the accusations as part of his “resistance” against Israeli occupation and U.S. policy in the region, particularly during the Lebanese Civil War and successive Zionist invasions.
Return to the Homeland… and the Voice of Resistance Continues
Abdallah arrived in Beirut yesterday, where he was welcomed by comrades, loved ones, and delegations from various Lebanese national forces and parties. His first statement was directed to Gaza, calling on the Arab masses to mobilize to break the siege—especially appealing to the Egyptian people to lift the blockade at the Rafah crossing.
Despite spending 41 years behind bars, Georges Abdallah has not changed. He remained steadfast in his positions, unyielding, refusing to recognize Israel or back down from his commitment to the Palestinian cause. He expressed no regret, made no compromises. He remained a symbol of resistance and steadfastness in the face of occupation and imperialism.
In Conclusion
We wish comrade Georges a peaceful and free life among his people and comrades. His release from prison is not the end of a story, but the beginning of a new chapter of struggle. Just as Georges Abdallah was a symbol behind bars, he remains today a symbol in the streets—a living testament that resistance is not a crime, but a right.
Georges Abdallah… Finally free, though he never ceased to be free.
