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Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition

Updated 9 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-05 01:02 UTC → 2026-09-11 09:55 UTC · added removed

In July 2026, the Lebanese Parliament convened to debate major reforms, including a general amnesty bill to address prison overcrowding and a proposal to abolish the death penalty. The amnesty initiative received support from various regional groups and families of prisoners, though it has faced opposition from families of military personnel. Following a parliamentary vote, Lebanon officially abolished the death penalty, making it the first country in the Arab world to formally remove capital punishment from its legal code. The decision, described by Justice Minister Adel Nassar as a “historic step,” replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment and aggravated hard labor. While the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc voted against the measure, human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, welcomed the decision. Amnesty International’s Heba Morayef characterized the vote as a “victory for human rights.” The move formalizes an unofficial moratorium on executions that had been in place since January 2004. In September 2026, President Joseph Aoun signed Law No. 70, granting a general amnesty for crimes committed before March 1, 2026. This law, the first of its kind since 1991, The law aims to drop public lawsuits and erase original penalties and administrative records for covered individuals. However, the law maintains strict exclusions, omitting individuals, though it excludes crimes such as intentional murder, terrorism, treason, espionage, military crimes, rape, and human trafficking, torture, and sexual assault against minors. Notably, it also excludes as well as financial crimes, including crimes like embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and tax evasion. money laundering. While Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed support, political opposition remains high; MP Gebran Bassil has announced intentions to remained high. On September 11, 2026, the Lebanese Constitutional Council suspended the implementation of Law No. 70/2026 as a precautionary measure. The suspension comes while the Council reviews a legal challenge regarding potential constitutional flaws, particularly concerning the law, methodology used to define the amnesty's scope and various NGOs have criticized it the list of excluded crimes. A final decision is expected in approximately 35 days. Legal debate persists regarding the law's impact on the banking sector. While there are concerns that the amnesty might halt prosecutions initiated by depositors against banks for potential fraud, constitutional experts argue that crimes related to money laundering and violations of the Code of Money and failure to address corruption. Credit are explicitly excluded. Additionally, the law provides for a one-third reduction in sentences for those convicted of crimes that are excluded from the amnesty.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-11 09:55 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  2. 2026-09-05 01:02 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  3. 2026-08-17 17:34 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  4. 2026-08-12 01:04 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  5. 2026-08-11 21:27 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  6. 2026-08-11 16:48 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  7. 2026-08-11 15:38 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  8. 2026-08-11 14:15 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  9. 2026-08-11 14:15 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition
  10. 2026-08-11 11:12 UTC Lebanese legislative reforms and death penalty abolition

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