Lebanon becomes first Middle Eastern country to abolish death penalty

Lebanon’s parliament has voted to abolish capital punishment, making it the first nation in the Middle East to formally end the practice.

While Lebanon has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 2004, courts continued to hand down death sentences for major crimes including murder, terrorism, and espionage.

Prior to the vote, human rights group Amnesty International estimated that 85 individuals remained on death row across the country.

Under the new legislation, capital punishment will be replaced by life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour.

Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the vote as “historic”, noting that the legal existence of the death penalty had previously hampered Beirut’s ability to secure the extradition of criminal suspects from nations where capital punishment is outlawed.

International observers and human rights organisations welcomed the landmark decision.

The European Union stated that Lebanon was setting a powerful example for the region, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot praised the vote as a courageous step that upholds democratic values. Human Rights Watch also lauded the law, calling it a monumental victory for human rights in the Middle East.