Lebanon abolishes death penalty in landmark parliament vote

Lebanon's parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, a landmark decision that replaces capital punishment with life imprisonment involving aggravated hard labor. This move makes Lebanon the first country in the Arab world to formally end the practice.

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historic step

While Lebanon has maintained an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004, numerous death sentences have been issued since then, though they were typically suspended or commuted. The vote saw a majority of the 128-member parliament support the abolition, with the exception of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the vote as a "historic step" for the country. Rights groups, which had been advocating for the formalization of the moratorium or complete abolition, celebrated the outcome. Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon Researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that Lebanon is "marking a final break from a cruel sentence that should never be imposed," adding that capital punishment is "unique in its cruelty and finality and is plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error."

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marking a final break from a cruel sentence that should never be imposed.

Details regarding the enforcement of aggravated hard labor remain unclear, as some legislators noted the terms of the new punishment are not yet defined. Lebanon's law does include hard labor, but its enforcement has been rare in recent years due to the country's financial constraints and overcrowded prison system. The abolition of the death penalty occurs as parliament is also debating a broad general amnesty law, the most significant since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990, which could reduce sentences or lead to the release of convicted individuals, with certain exceptions.

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Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality and is plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error.