Lebanon Officially Abolishes Death Penalty, First in Middle East

Lebanon has officially abolished the death penalty, marking a historic moment as the first country in the Middle East to formally end the practice. The parliament approved the bill to abolish capital punishment on Tuesday, introducing modifications to the existing legislation.

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The bill aimed at abolishing the death penalty in Lebanon was approved after modifications were introduced to it.

No executions have been carried out in Lebanon since 2004. The newly enacted law specifies that offenses committed prior to its effective date will now be punishable by life imprisonment. This legislative change is being hailed as "historic" by Justice Minister Adel Nassar. He noted that the vote will prevent the rejection of extradition requests submitted by Beirut for suspects held in countries that have also abolished the death penalty.

Human Rights Watch researcher for Lebanon, Ramzi Kaiss, described the abolition as a "monumental step for human rights in the country." He emphasized that it represents a clear break from "a cruel and arbitrary sentence that should never be imposed."

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This is historic, and thanks to this vote, requests submitted by Beirut for the extradition of suspects from countries where the death penalty has been abolished will no longer be dismissed.

The abolition of the death penalty was part of a series of legislative proposals debated during the current parliamentary session. This included discussions on a general amnesty law, which has been under consideration for years. The move aligns Lebanon with a growing international trend towards ending capital punishment.

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This is a monumental step for human rights in the country, representing a clear break with a cruel and arbitrary sentence that should never be imposed.