Lebanon becomes first ME country to end death penalty

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliament has approved legislation abolishing the death penalty, making the country the first in the Middle East to formally eliminate capital punishment.

The Lebanese parliament approved the measure on Tuesday following amendments to the relevant law. Under the new legislation, the death penalty will be replaced with life imprisonment with hard labour.

Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the abolition of the death penalty as a historic day for the country following the parliamentary vote. He said the decision would help Lebanon restore what he described as its leadership role in the region and internationally.

Nassar later clarified that abolishing capital punishment should not be interpreted as leniency toward crime. He said the move was not about pardoning criminals but represented the state’s rejection of taking a human life as a form of punishment.

According to Amnesty International, 85 people were on death row in Lebanon before the legislation was approved. The organisation welcomed the move, describing it as an important development for human rights.

Amnesty said Lebanon last carried out an execution on January 17, 2004, and that no executions had taken place in the country for more than two decades.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also congratulated Lebanon on the decision and called on countries that continue to retain the death penalty to follow Lebanon’s example and abolish the punishment.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also welcomed the move, describing it as an important step for human rights and a potential example for other countries in the Middle East.

According to Lebanon’s justice minister, abolishing the death penalty could also encourage greater cooperation from countries that previously refused to extradite fugitives wanted by Lebanese courts because of concerns that they could face capital punishment.