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Tuesday, 11th August 2026
Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty in Historic Parliamentary Vote
12 August 2026 02:08 AM
NEWS DESK
Lebanon has abolished the death penalty, becoming the first country in the Arab world to replace capital punishment with life imprisonment and hard labor.
The abolition was approved in a historic vote in Parliament on Tuesday.
A majority of members of Lebanon’s 128-seat Parliament voted in favor of ending the death penalty, while Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc opposed the measure.
Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who was present in Parliament during the vote, described the decision as a “historic step” for Lebanon.
Human rights organizations that have long called for the formalization of the country’s moratorium on executions or the complete abolition of capital punishment welcomed the move.
Lebanese law includes provisions for hard labor as a form of punishment in court rulings and legal regulations. However, the sentence has rarely been carried out in recent years because of the country’s financial crisis, limited resources and overcrowded prisons, which have struggled to accommodate the growing number of inmates.
The decision to abolish the death penalty comes as Parliament is also considering a controversial general amnesty law. If approved, it would be the country’s largest amnesty initiative since the end of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war in 1990.
The proposed legislation could reduce sentences and, in some cases, lead to the release of convicted extremists and drug traffickers, although exceptions would apply to certain offenses.
Families of Lebanese soldiers and security personnel killed in attacks and assassinations by insurgent groups have repeatedly protested against the proposed amnesty. Some relatives have said they want those responsible for killing their loved ones to face the death penalty rather than reduced prison terms.
Hezbollah, the country’s main armed political group, did not immediately comment on the historic vote. Lebanon’s various religious institutions also did not issue immediate reactions, although some religious judicial systems recognize capital punishment as a legitimate penalty.
The small Mediterranean country has maintained an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004. Despite the moratorium, Lebanese courts continued to issue death sentences in a number of cases. Those sentences were later suspended or commuted.
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