Lebanon President signs general amnesty law

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has signed Law No. 70, granting a general amnesty for crimes committed before March 1, 2026. The law, the first of its kind since 1991, aims to drop public lawsuits and erase original penalties and administrative records for those covered.

The amnesty includes various offenders, including some detained individuals, but maintains strict exclusions. Specifically, the law does not cover crimes related to the Judicial Council, intentional murder, terrorism, treason, espionage, military crimes, or certain repeated drug offenses. It also excludes crimes of rape, human trafficking, domestic violence, torture, and sexual assault against minors.

Notably, the law excludes financial crimes such as embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, money laundering, tax evasion, and crimes involving the banking sector or the national currency. While Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed support for the law, political opposition remains high. MP Gebran Bassil has announced intentions to challenge the law, and various NGOs have criticized it for potential constitutional violations and for failing to address corruption adequately.