Lebanon’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty on Tuesday — replacing active death sentences with life imprisonment, the speaker’s office said in a statement.
The policy shift is a first for the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt still execute citizens at some of the highest per-capita rates in the world, according to World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
“Lebanon’s decision to abolish the death penalty marks a major milestone and a victory for human rights in the country,” said Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Heba Morayef.
“After more than two decades without executions, today’s step transforms a precarious hiatus in executions into lasting legal protection upholding the right to life and bringing Lebanon in line with the global trend towards abolition,” Morayef continued.
Lebanon has maintained a de facto moratorium on all executions since 2004, yet, dozens of people were still slated for execution and sentences were still being issued — including one as recently as Monday, according to France24.
The parliament’s statement on Tuesday did not include a formal vote count.
The bill will now go to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for signing.
Aoun’s government has already expressed support for the bill, according to the BBC.
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc dissented.
Murder and treason were previously crimes that carried a death sentence.
Now, those sentenced to the death penalty will face life imprisonment with hard labor.
In addition to abolishing the death penalty, the Lebanese parliament is also considering general amnesty for some sentences due to the overcrowded prison population.
Nearly 80% of Lebanon’s prison population was pending trial as of 2023, according to Human Rights Watch.
With Post wires
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