Introduction to the evening news 14-01-2013

Lebanese detainee George Ibrahim Abdallah was 'present' in front the French embassy in Beirut without having to leave his prison cell in France.     

Graffiti drawings supporting George covered the walls of the embassy while tents were set on the nearby sidewalks to symbolize the open-ended strike held until the release of George who had been in prison for over 28 years.                     

It is not the first time that the release of the Kobayat citizen gets postponed; in 2003 the decision of his conditional release was issued.                      

Remarkably, the rejection of his release did not come from the judicial authority, but from the political authority; in fact, the French Interior Minister has not signed his release papers, prompting the court to schedule a session on the 28th of January to reconsider the decision.                                  

Abdallah's attorney Jack Fergus told LBCI that the decision to postpone the release is political and was issued 2 days after Washington condemned France’s decision to release the Lebanese prisoner.             

In a positive step taken by Lebanese authorities, PM Najib Mikati asked France to expedite the release of George Ibrahim Abdallah and consequently contacted the French Ambassador to Lebanon Patrice Paoli and asked him about the reasons behind delaying George Abdallah's release.