Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah freed after 40 years in French prison
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese militant and figurehead of Palestinian resistance, has been freed after more than four decades in a French prison.
Issued on: 25/07/2025 - RFI
'Committed militant'
The founder of the now-defunct Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions (FARL) – a Marxist group once active in anti-Israel operations – Abdallah described himself as a "committed militant".
Following his arrest in 1984, French police uncovered submachine guns and radio equipment in one of his Paris apartments.
However, the appeals court noted in February that FARL had not engaged in any violent acts since 1984, and that Abdallah had become more of a symbolic figure for the Palestinian cause.
The judges also deemed his lengthy imprisonment “disproportionate” in light of his age and the nature of his crimes.
Abdallah’s family plans to welcome him at Beirut airport before travelling to their hometown of Kobayat in northern Lebanon, where a reception has been organised.
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese militant and figurehead of Palestinian resistance, has been freed after more than four decades in a French prison.
Issued on: 25/07/2025 - RFI
Lebanese activist Georges Abdallah, in his cell in Lannemezan, southern France, 17 July 2025. © AFP/Valentine Chapuis
One of France’s longest-serving prisoners, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah – a pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant – was released and deported on Friday, after spending more than 40 years behind bars for the killing of two diplomats.
Shortly before dawn, at around 3:40am local time, a convoy of six vehicles with flashing lights was seen leaving the Lannemezan prison, according to journalists on the ground.
Just a few hours later, the 74-year-old reportedly boarded a flight to Lebanon.
Abdallah was originally detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in 1987 for his role in the murders of United States military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.
Georges Abdallah: The Lebanese activist France has held for over 40 years
His release was finally authorised by the Paris Court of Appeal, effective from 25 July, on the condition that he leave French territory permanently.
Although he had technically been eligible for release since 1999, previous applications were consistently denied, with the US – a civil party in the case – strongly opposing his release.
In France, life sentences typically result in release after less than 30 years.
Abdallah’s lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, visited him on Thursday. “He seemed in very good spirits about finally being released, though he’s fully aware he’s returning to a region facing extremely difficult times for both the Lebanese and Palestinian people,” Chalanset told French news agency AFP.
French court orders release of Lebanese militant after four decades in prison
One of France’s longest-serving prisoners, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah – a pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant – was released and deported on Friday, after spending more than 40 years behind bars for the killing of two diplomats.
Shortly before dawn, at around 3:40am local time, a convoy of six vehicles with flashing lights was seen leaving the Lannemezan prison, according to journalists on the ground.
Just a few hours later, the 74-year-old reportedly boarded a flight to Lebanon.
Abdallah was originally detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in 1987 for his role in the murders of United States military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.
Georges Abdallah: The Lebanese activist France has held for over 40 years
His release was finally authorised by the Paris Court of Appeal, effective from 25 July, on the condition that he leave French territory permanently.
Although he had technically been eligible for release since 1999, previous applications were consistently denied, with the US – a civil party in the case – strongly opposing his release.
In France, life sentences typically result in release after less than 30 years.
Abdallah’s lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, visited him on Thursday. “He seemed in very good spirits about finally being released, though he’s fully aware he’s returning to a region facing extremely difficult times for both the Lebanese and Palestinian people,” Chalanset told French news agency AFP.
French court orders release of Lebanese militant after four decades in prison
'Committed militant'
The founder of the now-defunct Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions (FARL) – a Marxist group once active in anti-Israel operations – Abdallah described himself as a "committed militant".
Following his arrest in 1984, French police uncovered submachine guns and radio equipment in one of his Paris apartments.
However, the appeals court noted in February that FARL had not engaged in any violent acts since 1984, and that Abdallah had become more of a symbolic figure for the Palestinian cause.
The judges also deemed his lengthy imprisonment “disproportionate” in light of his age and the nature of his crimes.
Abdallah’s family plans to welcome him at Beirut airport before travelling to their hometown of Kobayat in northern Lebanon, where a reception has been organised.
freed in France celebrated in Beirut
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah in Lebanon
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who spent 41 years in a French prison for the 1982 murder of an Israeli diplomat, is released and returns to Lebanon where he is hailed as a hero by Hezbollah
Lior Ben Ari|
Activists campaigning for Abdallah’s release called on supporters to gather at Beirut’s airport road to await his arrival, describing his freedom as a “day of celebration for those committed to the Palestinian cause and opposed to normalization.” A French court conditioned his release on leaving France permanently.
Lebanese media broadcast images and videos tracking his flight until landing. Lebanese parliament members greeted him at the airport, where he reunited with his family as crowds demonstrated in support of Palestine. In a speech upon arrival, Abdallah said, “The steadfastness of prisoners inside depends on the resolve of those outside.
“Resistance in Palestine must escalate. It is a shame that millions of Arabs watch the suffering of Palestinians and children dying of hunger in Gaza. Martyrs of the resistance are the foundation of liberation. As long as resistance exists, there is a return to the homeland. Israel is living its final chapters.”
Lebanese parliament member Ibrahim Moussawi, representing Hezbollah, praised Abdallah as a “symbol of resistance, honor and independence.” After celebrations in Beirut, Abdallah traveled to his hometown of Qoubaiyat in northern Lebanon, where he was warmly received.
Yaacov Bar-Simantov, a Mossad agent at the Israeli embassy in Paris, was murdered in early April 1982. An assassin ambushed him at his apartment building, shooting him dead in front of his wife and eight-year-old daughter.
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
His 17-year-old son, who heard the gunfire but did not witness the murder, chased the assailant, later identified as Jacqueline Esber, who escaped into the Paris metro. Her fate remains unclear. Abdallah, a 74-year-old Maronite Christian, was among France’s longest-serving prisoners.
Injured during Israel’s 1978 Operation Litani against Palestinian terror groups in southern Lebanon, he joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a pro-Syrian Marxist group led by George Habash, that year. Abdallah maintained ties with terror organizations in France, Italy and Germany.
His group claimed responsibility for five attacks in France between 1981 and 1982. Abdallah was arrested in 1984 under unusual circumstances in Lyon, where he sought police protection, claiming Mossad assassins were pursuing him.
Holding an Algerian passport, among others he had used, he was soon identified as Abd al-Qadir Saadi, leader of the FARL terror group. French authorities found submachine guns and communication devices in one of his Paris apartments.
Supporters of Abdallah in Beirut
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Initially sentenced to four years in 1986 for weapons possession, Abdallah received a life sentence in 1987 for his role in the diplomats’ murders and an attempted killing of an American diplomat in Strasbourg in 1984.
Georges Kiejman, a lawyer representing victims, recalled in his memoirs that Abdallah acted during the trial “like the terrorist he claimed not to be,” cursing attendees as “pigs” and “dirty imperialists” before being expelled from the courtroom.
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah in Lebanon
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who spent 41 years in a French prison for the 1982 murder of an Israeli diplomat, is released and returns to Lebanon where he is hailed as a hero by Hezbollah
Lior Ben Ari|
Yesterday |
YNETNEWS
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese terrorist who served 41 years in a French prison for planning the 1982 murder of Israeli diplomat Yaacov Bar-Simantov in Paris and plotting to kill American diplomat Charles Ray in the same year, was released and returned to Lebanon on Friday, where he received a warm welcome in Beirut.
YNETNEWS
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese terrorist who served 41 years in a French prison for planning the 1982 murder of Israeli diplomat Yaacov Bar-Simantov in Paris and plotting to kill American diplomat Charles Ray in the same year, was released and returned to Lebanon on Friday, where he received a warm welcome in Beirut.
Activists campaigning for Abdallah’s release called on supporters to gather at Beirut’s airport road to await his arrival, describing his freedom as a “day of celebration for those committed to the Palestinian cause and opposed to normalization.” A French court conditioned his release on leaving France permanently.
Lebanese media broadcast images and videos tracking his flight until landing. Lebanese parliament members greeted him at the airport, where he reunited with his family as crowds demonstrated in support of Palestine. In a speech upon arrival, Abdallah said, “The steadfastness of prisoners inside depends on the resolve of those outside.
“Resistance in Palestine must escalate. It is a shame that millions of Arabs watch the suffering of Palestinians and children dying of hunger in Gaza. Martyrs of the resistance are the foundation of liberation. As long as resistance exists, there is a return to the homeland. Israel is living its final chapters.”
Lebanese parliament member Ibrahim Moussawi, representing Hezbollah, praised Abdallah as a “symbol of resistance, honor and independence.” After celebrations in Beirut, Abdallah traveled to his hometown of Qoubaiyat in northern Lebanon, where he was warmly received.
Yaacov Bar-Simantov, a Mossad agent at the Israeli embassy in Paris, was murdered in early April 1982. An assassin ambushed him at his apartment building, shooting him dead in front of his wife and eight-year-old daughter.
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
His 17-year-old son, who heard the gunfire but did not witness the murder, chased the assailant, later identified as Jacqueline Esber, who escaped into the Paris metro. Her fate remains unclear. Abdallah, a 74-year-old Maronite Christian, was among France’s longest-serving prisoners.
Injured during Israel’s 1978 Operation Litani against Palestinian terror groups in southern Lebanon, he joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a pro-Syrian Marxist group led by George Habash, that year. Abdallah maintained ties with terror organizations in France, Italy and Germany.
His group claimed responsibility for five attacks in France between 1981 and 1982. Abdallah was arrested in 1984 under unusual circumstances in Lyon, where he sought police protection, claiming Mossad assassins were pursuing him.
Holding an Algerian passport, among others he had used, he was soon identified as Abd al-Qadir Saadi, leader of the FARL terror group. French authorities found submachine guns and communication devices in one of his Paris apartments.
Supporters of Abdallah in Beirut
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
(Photo: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Initially sentenced to four years in 1986 for weapons possession, Abdallah received a life sentence in 1987 for his role in the diplomats’ murders and an attempted killing of an American diplomat in Strasbourg in 1984.
Georges Kiejman, a lawyer representing victims, recalled in his memoirs that Abdallah acted during the trial “like the terrorist he claimed not to be,” cursing attendees as “pigs” and “dirty imperialists” before being expelled from the courtroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment