George Ibrahim Abdullah, a Lebanese activist, was born on April 2, 1951 in the village of Qobayat in the northern Akkar Governorate. LebanonTo a Maronite Christian family. In the 1970s, his interest in Arab nationalist issues and Palestinian rights increased, and he became a supporter of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupationWhich later prompted him to join the Lebanese National Movement.
In the early 1980s, he founded the “Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions” with others, and was arrested in France In 1984 on charges of forging documents and possessing weapons, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987.
Although he fulfilled the requirements for parole in 1999, his requests for release were rejected several times due to international pressure.
George Abdullah's birth and upbringing
George Ibrahim Abdullah – known affectionately as “Abdul Qader Saadi” – was born on April 2, 1951, in the village of Qobayat in the Akkar district of northern Lebanon, to a Maronite Christian family, and his father worked in the… Lebanese Army.
Since the age of fifteen, George began engaging in political work and joined the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
His practical experience
George Abdullah completed his studies at the Teachers' House in Achrafieh BBeirutHe graduated in 1970, then began his career as a teacher in a school in the Akrum area of Akkar, and at that time his awareness began to crystallize as a result of the tragic conditions that the region is suffering from.
In the 1970s, he became involved in circles supporting Palestinian rights and Arab nationalism, and began discussing among his friends the injustice of the Palestinian people.
Supporting the Palestinian struggle
In the late 1970s, George Abdullah joined the Lebanese National Movement, an alliance active during Lebanese Civil WarHe showed his hostility to Israel before joining the movement in the early 1980s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Leftism.
In 1980, George Abdullah and others founded the Marxist, anti-imperialist “Lebanese Revolutionary Armed Factions.” The movement claimed responsibility for 5 attacks in Europe between 1981 and 1982 as part of activities loyal to the Palestinian cause.
Many assassinations were attributed to the movement, including the killing of Charles Ray, Deputy Military Attaché at the American Embassy in France, and Yaakov Parsimantov, Second Counselor at the Israeli Embassy in Paris.
During his trial in France, George said his famous saying, “I am a fighter, not a criminal,” and added, “The path I took was dictated by the abuse of…human rights committed against Palestine“.
His arrest and imprisonment
George Abdullah was residing in Switzerland, before he went to France to hand over the deposit for an apartment he rented, and the French police arrested him in the city of… Leon On October 24, 1984, he was charged with possessing a forged Algerian passport, and was sentenced to 4 years in Lanmezan prison.
In response to his arrest, his armed group kidnapped French diplomat Sidney Gilles Bérault on March 23, 1985, and France agreed to exchange detainees via Algeria, but did not fulfill its promise to release Georges.
At the time, French police revealed they had found what they said were explosives and weapons in the apartment at the time of the deal, including the gun believed to have been used in the killing of Charles Ray and Parsimantov.
In March 1987, George Abdullah was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “complicity in terrorist acts” and participating in the assassination of American and Israeli diplomats.
According to his lawyer and supporters, “Abdullah’s trial was directed by a foreign power – referring to… United States of America“I opposed his release requests.”
Demanded for release
In 1999, George Abdallah fulfilled the requirements for his conditional release in accordance with French law, but his release was refused several times, and France feared that “his release would represent a symbolic figure in the struggle against… Zionism“It was a major event in Lebanon,” according to the General Directorate of Police at the time.
For years, his requests for parole were rejected, and in February 2012, the Lebanese Prime Minister visited Najib Mikati The French capital, Paris, demanded his release, describing him as a “political prisoner.”
In 2013, the French judiciary agreed in principle to release him on the condition that he be deported to Lebanon, but the French Ministry of the Interior did not issue the deportation order necessary to implement the decision, which kept him in prison.
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, the president was appointed Michel Aoun In 2018, the Director General of Security contacted the head of the French Foreign Intelligence Service, Bernard Emier, in an effort to find a solution to George’s case.
In 2020, George renewed his attempts through correspondence with the Minister of the Interior, but his efforts received no response.
Several demonstrations were organized in front of the French Embassy in Beirut, demanding the immediate release of George Abdullah and the signing of the decision to deport him to Lebanon.