The following statement from the Collective for the Liberation of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah is republished below and translated from the original French:
On Friday, 19 March, Georges Abdallah, imprisoned for 37 years in French prisons, received for the third time a visit from Mr. Rami Adwan, the Ambassador of Lebanon in France. On this occasion, he was accompanied by Ms. Marie-Claude Najm, Minister of Justice of the acting Lebanese government.
Among other things, they brought him greetings from the Lebanese government and its president. The visit of the Lebanese Minister of Justice was conditioned on their being no statement made before or after the meeting.
We remember that at other times, during the many requests for release made by our comrade, the French prosecution openly stated their fears that the return of Georges Abdallah to his country would be celebrated and that he would, therefore, be hailed at the height of his popularity:
“An emblematic figure of the anti-Zionist struggle, his release [of Georges Abdallah] would undoubtedly be an event in Lebanon. He will probably be celebrated as a hero on his return to his country, and also by various movements engaged in revolutionary struggle.” (July 2007)
In other words, if Manuel Valls had deigned to sign the expulsion document, upon which the release of Georges Abdallah was conditioned in the ruling of the sentencing court on 21 November 2012, he should have been required to land in his own country silently, according to the will of the French state!
Georges Abdallah, revolutionary communist, detained for 37 years in French jails without ever renouncing his anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist political commitment and his dedication to a free Palestine, is certainly a model of resistance, courage and determination who should be greeted as he deserves, especially in these times when the struggle against Zionism and the colonization of Palestinian land is once again threatened and/or judged by French courts.
We salute the approach of Ms. Najm and Mr. Adwan, who, in a most delicate Lebanese political context, had the courage to meet their compatriot who has suffered for so many years the vengeance of the French justice system.
