Lebanon Becomes First Middle Eastern Country to Abolish the Death Penalty

Lebanon has become the first country in the Middle East to abolish the death penalty. On Tuesday, the country’s parliament approved a law abolishing capital punishment. The new legislation replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment and rigorous hard labor.

A majority of lawmakers in Lebanon’s 128-member parliament voted in favor of abolishing the death penalty. The law was approved following the introduction of several amendments; however, the Hezbollah-backed parliamentary alliance did not vote in favor of the abolition.

No executions have been carried out in Lebanon since 2004, although courts continued to hand down death sentences. According to Amnesty International, there were at least 85 death-row prisoners in the country as of January this year.

Following the law’s passage, Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the move as a “historic” decision. The United Nations, the European Union, and France have also welcomed the decision.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has urged other Middle Eastern countries that still retain the death penalty to follow Lebanon’s example. Meanwhile, human rights organizations have called for the commutation of sentences for all death-row prisoners and for the ratification of international treaties abolishing capital punishment.

The abolition of the death penalty in Lebanon comes after more than two decades of campaigning by human rights activists. UN officials have hailed the move as a significant commitment by Lebanon to human rights and human dignity.