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Lebanon has abolished the death penalty, becoming the first country in the Middle East to scrap capital punishment. The country’s parliament passed a bill abolishing the death penalty on Tuesday.
No executions have been carried out in Lebanon since 2004. However, courts continued to hand down death sentences, with the latest verdict issued on Monday.
According to Amnesty International, at least 85 people sentenced to death were being held in Lebanese prisons as of January this year.
AFP reported that the death penalty had been applicable in Lebanon for serious crimes including murder, terrorism and espionage. Under the new law, the maximum punishment for such offences will be life imprisonment with hard labour.
Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who was present in parliament, described the abolition as a “historic” decision. He said the existence of the death penalty had created difficulties in returning suspects to Lebanon from countries that had abolished capital punishment.
Independent lawmaker Firas Hamdan also welcomed the decision. In a post on X, he thanked everyone who had worked for more than two decades to bring about the change.
The United Nations also welcomed Lebanon’s decision. UN human rights chief Volker Turk urged other Middle Eastern countries that still retain the death penalty to abolish it.
He said the decision by war-torn Lebanon demonstrated the country’s strong commitment to the right to life.
The European Union said Lebanon had set a strong example for other countries in the Middle East and beyond. France, Lebanon’s former colonial power, also praised the move as “historic and courageous.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the decision demonstrated Lebanon’s commitment to democratic values and freedom.
