Lebanon Parliament Votes to Abolish Death Penalty

In a significant legislative move, Lebanon’s parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty. This decision, if finalized, would position Lebanon as the first nation in the Middle East to officially end capital punishment.

The vote saw a majority of Members of Parliament support the measure, though Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc opposed it. The legislation is now on its way to the cabinet for review before it proceeds to President Joseph Aoun for his signature. The government has already indicated its support for the abolition.

Lebanon has observed a de facto moratorium on executions since January 2004, meaning no executions have been carried out, even though courts have continued to issue death sentences. Rights groups estimate that over 78 individuals are currently on death row.

Under the new law, capital punishment will be replaced by life imprisonment with hard labour. However, the specifics of how this new sentence will be implemented are yet to be detailed. While hard labour is part of Lebanese law, its enforcement has been infrequent in recent years, partly due to the country’s financial crisis and overcrowded prisons impacting authorities’ resources.

This development follows years of advocacy by civil society groups and legal professionals. Oragit Younan, co-founder of the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights, who led a nearly three-decade campaign, emphasized the importance of human rights even amidst conflict, stating, “We cannot solve a crime with a crime or end violence with violence.” She added, “We can be a model for others.”

The vote marks a shift after more than two decades without executions, a period during which decrees for executions, requiring signatures from the president, prime minister, and justice minister, have not been signed since 2004. Previously, the death penalty could be applied to serious offenses like aggravated murder, treason, and espionage.

This move by Lebanon contrasts with recent trends in the Middle East, where Jordan has resumed executions and Israel’s parliament has approved legislation to expand the circumstances for imposing capital punishment, particularly in relation to the October 2023 attacks. Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief has expressed alarm over a rise in executions in Iran, where capital punishment is reportedly used to suppress dissent.