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Lebanese militant George Abdullah – Archive
Thursday 17/July/2025 – 11:57 PM
After more than four decades have passed in French prisons, the Lebanese fighter George Abdullah, finally, is getting his freedom, in a long -awaited scene in which policy was interrupted by law, and justice in international silence.
The news of the release, despite its positive, came as a shocking to the Abdullah family, which for years used to leave France and its promises and exceed the decisions of its judiciary, until the file became a symbol of the certain political injustice, and in this special dialogue with “Cairo 24”, Dr. Robert Abdullah, the brother of the militant George, talks about the news of the family, as it reveals the scenes of the long years of detention, and the position of George who remained believing in his case His convictions despite Arab isolation and neglect.
Robert tells how his brother’s issue has turned into a stigma in the forehead of a state that sings human rights, raises his questions about the role of the Lebanese state, and confirms that the resistance – in their view – is not an option, but a instinct generated with dignity, and that George, for Arab generations, is no longer just a political prisoner, but a living symbol of lost justice .. And to the text of the dialogue:
Q: How did you receive the news of the release of George Abdullah … and what was his first words for you?
The news came shocking despite being positive, as we did not expect it after many years of procrastination and ignoring judicial decisions. However, “to arrive late is better than never to reach,” and finally, the French state respected its spending – even after a painful delay.
Q: Did you contact him after the decision was issued?
Until now, there has been no direct communication due to the pressure of time and preoccupations, and it may be busy receiving his visitors in prison, but indirect communication has been through the lawyer and close friends, and the lawyer considered the decision a victory for justice over politics, because the case was immersed from the beginning, and he saw that the decision was completely legal and cannot be stabbed, unless the French authorities have been again chosen by bypassing the law as they have done repeatedly in the past decades.
Q: How was the nature of your communication with George during the years of his arrest .. Did he feel a day when they were let down?
Hope was his permanent companion, and he remained believing in the justice of the issue that his life was annihilated for, and his dictionary was not known as the two named Al -Khakhn, as he is steadfast with full conviction in his positions, but the pain was from the inauguration of governments in the region from playing its role towards the militants and the prisoners, while he remained armed with faith in the fairness of issues without the political details.
Q: Did you pass a moment when you felt that George may never return?
We, as a family, were preparing for all possibilities, and we are still, as the fate of the militants is always open to all scenarios, like all the families of the militants and prisoners.
Q: Do you think that the release decision came in response to political pressure or regional transformations?
I do not have a conclusive answer, but it is clear that popular and human rights pressure is escalating, and the intervention of the French authority in the elimination has become a stigma in its face, and France may have realized – even later – that this farce is not worthy of a country that claims respect for human rights and justice.
I can say that the situation has become embarrassed for the supporters of the case and others, and it reflects a picture that contradicts its democracy and progress.
Q: How do you read the position of successive French governments that ignored the demands of his release despite the conditions of conditional release for decades?
The situation does not deviate from the context of classical colonial behavior, and the official French authorities stood in the face of the right, while the national and progressive forces in French society supported the issue strongly, and here it must be saluted, and it is unfortunate that this French popular support was more fulfilling than the positions of some of our Arab governments.
Q: Is this double standards by successive French governments?
Certainly.
Q: What is your message to the Lebanese state in this context .. Do you think that it is short?
The Lebanese state is mired in its crises, short of its people first, and it is not possible to talk about a failure in the George file in isolation from the reality of corruption, poverty and collapse in the country, and what happened is the result of a plunder system of the people’s capabilities in favor of a few monopolizing governance, and shortening is general and comprehensive.
Q: Will George return to public and militant work after returning to Lebanon?
The decision returns to him alone, and we cannot predict what he will do.
Q: Are there arrangements or popular celebrations to receive it upon his arrival, Beirut?
Certainly, there are national bodies, political and popular references that have welcomed a wide welcome for his release, and there will be a form of reception befitting his career and sacrifices.
Q: What does George today represent for Arab youth?
It is a real symbol, and there was no army behind it.
Q: You, as a family, endured a lot .. Is it worth the path of resistance all this price?
Resistance is normal as a physical law, and everything is under pressure exercises resistance, so how is human beings? No one accepts injustice, humiliation and occupation, the resistance does not need a decision, but rather stems from the depth of human dignity.
Here, I must thank the Egyptian people who remain inspiring to the Arab nation, and we always look to it to be in its natural position in defense of the nation’s issues, so Egypt is truly the mother of the world.
