Agence France-Presse announced that the French Court of Cassation had overturned the conditional release decision given to George Ibrahim Abdullah last July. This decision remains theoretical in nature, as Abdullah is currently in Lebanon.
The highest judicial authority in France explained in the rationale for its decision that “in the event of a life sentence, conditional release cannot be granted unless the convict is placed on a partial release system, working outside prison, or electronic monitoring for a period of not less than one year.”
It also stated that “this condition applies to any foreigner against whom a deportation decision has not been issued.”
But the Paris Court of Appeal, which had allowed conditional release on the condition of leaving French territory and not returning to it, held that “the fact that George Ibrahim Abdallah does not have any ties in France must be considered as a person without legal residency,” an opinion that was rejected by the Court of Cassation.
It is noteworthy that Abdullah was sentenced to life imprisonment because he was accused of complicity in the assassination of American and Israeli diplomats in 1982.
Abdullah has always denied any connection to the assassinations, while refusing to condemn “acts of resistance” against what he described as “Israeli and American oppression.”
It should be noted that Abdullah, who has been eligible for release since 1999, was considered one of the oldest prisoners in France after spending more than 40 years in prison.
He returned to Lebanon last July, after the Court of Appeal found that his “imprisonment period was disproportionate” to the crimes he was accused of and to his advanced age. He is expected to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday on Thursday.
