French court orders release of Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982.
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled Abdallah, who has been imprisoned in France since his arrest in 1984, can be released next Friday on the condition that he leave France and never return, judicial authorities said.
His lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, told reporters that Abdallah wants to return to Lebanon upon his release and remains 'a communist militant who supports the Palestinian struggle and fights against the invasion of his country by Israel.'
He described Abdallah as the longest-held political prisoner in Europe.
'He has never renounced his convictions,' Chalanset said, adding that U.S. authorities had lobbied the Paris court to reject the 74-year-old's release request. 'So it's also a political victory, even after nearly 41 years in detention, against the United States.'
The Associated Press
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