Lebanon’s legislature passed a measure on Tuesday to eliminate the death penalty, making it the pioneer in the Arab world to permanently scrap capital punishment.
The parliamentary decision, which passed with strong support, substitutes previous death sentences with life imprisonment combined with forced labor. While the majority of the 128 members backed the change, the Hezbollah bloc voted against it.
Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the move as historic. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, celebrated the decision as a principled defense of the right to life. He encouraged the government to move quickly toward presidential approval to make the law effective immediately, while also urging regional neighbors to follow suit.
The European Union issued a statement calling the legislation a milestone for local human rights, noting that Lebanon is providing a strong example to the international community. Although the country has held an unofficial moratorium on executions since 2004, this new legislation solidifies the shift by replacing standing death sentences with life imprisonment.
