George Abdallah: A Symbol of Resistance Against Four Decades of Injustice
Fidaa Abdel Fattah
From his French prison cell, Georges Abdallah recently spoke to L’Humanité, describing his release decision as “a minor detail compared to the global assault on people’s rights and freedoms.” The 72-year-old Lebanese revolutionary communist and Europe’s longest-serving political prisoner vowed, “I will never abandon the commitments I made in my youth and will adhere to my convictions for life.” Reflecting on his lifelong activism, he recalled witnessing the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982, when “France and the US guaranteed the safety of the Palestinian refugee camps, yet 4,000 were executed,” and now, he added, they are ignoring the genocide by “Israel” in Gaza and Lebanon.
The decision to review Abdallah’s 11th parole application was scheduled on October 7, coinciding with the anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. On October 15, a French court approved his “conditional” release and ordered his deportation from France by December 6. His lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, hailed the ruling as a “judicial and political victory,” noting it bypassed government approval.
However, fears of obstruction remain. France’s Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s office plans to appeal, replicating the 2013 intervention when US and Israeli pressure overturned a court ruling in favour of Abdallah’s release. Despite being eligible for parole since 1999, his freedom has been denied repeatedly—turning his case into a “stain on France’s judicial system,” with several officials admitting there has been tampered evidence and foreign interference.
The question remains: will France finally defy US and Israeli pressure to deliver justice to George Abdallah, or will it continue to perpetuate 40 years of injustice against a man whose steadfastness has become a global symbol of resistance against oppression?
Full article in Arabic: https://www.al-akhbar.com/Lebanon/387787
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=12591
#georgesAbdallah #lebanon #palestine #repression
