French court orders release of Lebanese militant held since 1984
A French court on Friday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, jailed for 40 years for the killing of two foreign diplomats, prosecutors said.
The court said Abdallah, first detained in 1984 and convicted in 1987 over the 1982 murders, would be released on 6 December provided he leaves France, French anti-terror prosecutors said in a statement to AFP, adding that they would appeal.
"In (a) decision dated today, the court granted Georges Ibrahim Abdallah conditional release from 6 December, subject to the condition that he leaves French territory and not appear there again," the prosecutors said.
Abdallah, a former guerrilla in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the murders of US military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov.
Washington has consistently opposed his release but Lebanese authorities have repeatedly said he should be freed from jail.
Abdallah, now 73, has always insisted he is a "fighter" who battled for the rights of Palestinians and not a "criminal". This was his 11th bid for release.
He had been eligible to apply for parole since 1999 but all his previous applications had been turned down, except in 2013 when he was granted release on the condition he was expelled from France.
One of France's longest serving inmates, Abdallah has never expressed regret for his actions.
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