Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty

death penalty abolition Lebanese Parliament capital punishment human rights Middle East law

The Lebanese Parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, making Lebanon the first Arab nation to formally end capital punishment in its legislation. The decision follows a de facto moratorium on executions that has been in place since January 2004.

Under the new law, capital punishment will be replaced by life imprisonment, which may include hard labour. The legislation must now move to the cabinet and receive the signature of President Joseph Aoun to be enacted. While the move has been welcomed by human rights organizations, the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc voted against the measure.

In a separate but related legislative action, the parliament also approved a general amnesty aimed at addressing severe prison overcrowding, which reportedly reached 300% in 2025. This amnesty has drawn political scrutiny due to Lebanon's complex sectarian landscape and ongoing efforts regarding the disarmament of various groups.

Entities

Amnesty International · Hezbollah · Joseph Aoun · Lebanese Parliament · Lebanon

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 4 SOURCES] The Lebanese parliament voted to abolish the death penalty. goodnews-magazin.de · cathnews.com · fr.aleteia.org · www.larazon.es
[● 2 SOURCES] The death penalty will be replaced by life imprisonment with hard labour or life imprisonment. cathnews.com · fr.aleteia.org
[DISPUTED] More than 78 people remain on death row in Lebanon. cathnews.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Lebanon has not carried out an execution since January 2004. goodnews-magazin.de · cathnews.com
[● 4 SOURCES] Lebanon is the first Arab country to formally abolish capital punishment. goodnews-magazin.de · cathnews.com · fr.aleteia.org · www.larazon.es
[DISPUTED] There were 84 people on death row in Lebanon in 2025. fr.aleteia.org
[● 3 SOURCES] Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc voted against the abolition of the death penalty. cathnews.com · fr.aleteia.org · www.larazon.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] The parliament also approved a general amnesty to address prison overcrowding. www.larazon.es

Sources

Libanon schafft Todesstrafe ab, [goodnews-magazin.de]

about 5 hours ago

Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty [cathnews.com]

about 23 hours ago

Le Liban devient le premier pays arabe à abolir la peine de mort [fr.aleteia.org]

about 2 hours ago

Líbano: una amnistía general con fines prácticos que sigue cerrando en falso la guerra [www.larazon.es]

about 14 hours ago