Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty
Summary
Lebanon’s parliament has voted to end the death penalty, making it the first Middle Eastern country to officially abolish capital punishment. The law will now go to the government and President Joseph Aoun for final approval. Under the new law, the death penalty will be replaced by life imprisonment with hard labour.Key Facts
- Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, with most MPs supporting the move.
- Hezbollah’s parliamentary group opposed the abolition.
- The law must be approved next by the cabinet and then signed by President Joseph Aoun.
- Lebanon has not executed anyone since 2004 but still sentenced over 78 people to death.
- Life imprisonment with hard labour will replace the death penalty under the new law.
- Hard labour is already in Lebanese law but is rarely enforced due to limited resources.
- The vote follows more than 20 years without executions, as execution requires approval by top officials which has not happened since 2004.
- Other Middle East countries are still using or expanding the death penalty, including Jordan, Israel, and Iran.
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