– LEBANON
Lebanon's parliament, on Tuesday passed historic legislation abolishing the death penalty, making the country the first in the Middle East and the Arab world to formally end capital punishment. A majority of the 128-member assembly voted in favor of the measure following the introduction of certain amendments; the only group to oppose it was the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc. The new law replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment involving aggravated hard labor for the most serious crimes, including those that previously carried the death penalty, such as aggravated murder, treason, and certain terrorism-related offenses.
This decision formalizes an unofficial moratorium on executions that had been in place since January 2004, when Lebanon carried out its last execution. Despite this ‘de facto’ suspension, Lebanese courts continued to hand down dozens of death sentences in the two decades that followed. As of late 2025, approximately 85 people remained on death row, according to the Ministry of Justice's Prison Directorate; these sentences will now be commuted to the newly established life imprisonment penalty.
Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who attended the parliamentary session, hailed the vote as a ‘historic step’ for Lebanon. He emphasized that the reform protects the right to life and removes a legal obstacle that had hindered extradition requests from countries that do not provide for capital punishment. The bill eliminates references to the death penalty throughout Lebanese legislation, including the Penal Code, and establishes a clearer sentencing hierarchy centered on life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor.
The legislation must still be referred to the Council of Ministers and receive the formal signature of President Joseph Aoun before being published in the Official Gazette and entering fully into force. Government support has already been expressed, and parliamentary approval marks a decisive step forward following years of effort by civil society organizations such as the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights and backing from progressive committees in early 2026.
International human rights bodies welcomed the development. Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa hailed the development as a significant milestone that transforms a precarious pause in executions into lasting legal protection. The European Union and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights commended Lebanon for setting a powerful example in the region and urged other countries that still retain the death penalty to follow suit. The vote coincides with ongoing parliamentary discussions regarding a broader amnesty law aimed at addressing prison overcrowding.