Lebanon Becomes First Arab Nation To Abolish Death Penalty, Replaces It With Life Term

Lebanon’s parliament on Tuesday abolished the death penalty, making the country the first in the Arab world to replace capital punishment with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour.

A majority of the 128-member parliament voted to end the death penalty, with Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc opposing the move. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who was present in Parliament, described the decision as a “historic step” for Lebanon.

Two-decade moratorium formalised

Lebanon has observed an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004. However, dozens of death sentences have been handed down since then, only to be subsequently suspended or commuted.

Rights groups, which have long sought either the formalisation of the moratorium or the complete abolition of capital punishment, welcomed the vote.

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the country was “marking a final break from a cruel sentence that should never be imposed.”

“Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality and is plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error,” he said.

Questions over aggravated hard labour

It remains unclear how aggravated hard labour will be implemented, with some legislators saying the terms of the new punishment have yet to be clearly defined.

Hard labour already exists as a punishment under Lebanese law and in court rulings, but it has rarely been enforced in recent years. The country’s financial difficulties have left it with limited resources and capacity in its overcrowded prisons.

Amnesty debate sparks controversy

The abolition comes as Parliament debates a controversial general amnesty law, which would be the largest since the end of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war in 1990. The proposed law could reduce sentences or lead to the release of convicted militants and drug dealers, subject to some exceptions.

Relatives of Lebanese soldiers and servicemen killed or attacked by Islamist militant groups have repeatedly protested against the proposed law. Some have said they had hoped those responsible for killing their family members would be executed rather than receive reduced prison sentences.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the landmark vote. Lebanon’s diverse religious institutions also did not immediately respond. The death penalty is considered legal in some of their respective court systems.