Georges Ibrahim Abdallah is free after 40 years in French prison: 'I return to Lebanon as an activist'

Georges Ibrahim Abdallah in his prison cell, in Lannemezan, southern France, on July 17, 2025. VALENTINE CHAPUIS / AFP

Georges Ibrahim Abdallah left prison by car on Friday, July 25, at 3:40 am, and then left France by plane, on Air France flight 564, at 9:30 am that day. He was deported to Lebanon, his home country, after having spent more than four decades in detention, making him one of the longest-held prisoners in both France and Europe.

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Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah to be released after 40 years in French prison

Abdallah was transferred to Paris in the middle of the night. Journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) present at the scene saw a convoy of six police vehicles leave, all with their lights flashing, from the southern Lannemezan penitentiary center where he was being held, along with the local department prefect's car. He was then flown from an airport in the nearby town of Tarbes to Paris' Charles-de-Gaulle international airport, from which he took a flight to Beirut later that morning.