Lebanon's parliament has passed a law to abolish capital punishment, marking a historic decision that makes it the first country in the Middle East to end the practice. Lawmakers approved the legislation on Tuesday after making several amendments, according to the Lebanese parliament’s speaker’s office.

The move replaces the death sentence with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour. This significant legislative change comes after an unofficial moratorium on executions has been in place since January 2004, during which time courts continued to issue death sentences. As of the end of 2025, 85 individuals were under death sentences, according to data from the Lebanese Ministry of Justice’s Directorate of Prisons.

A majority of the 128-member assembly voted in favour of the abolition, with the parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah being the exception. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, present during the parliamentary session, described the vote as a "historic step" for the nation.

The implications of this decision extend beyond a simple legal change. Amnesty International hailed the vote as "a major milestone and a victory for human rights in the country." Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director, stated that the decision transforms a "precarious hiatus in executions into lasting legal protection upholding the right to life and bringing Lebanon in line with the global trend towards abolition."

However, questions remain regarding the practical enforcement of "aggravated hard labour," with some legislators noting that the specifics of the new punishment are not yet clear. Lebanon already has provisions for "hard labour" in its laws and court rulings, but its implementation has been rare in recent years due to resource constraints and prison capacity issues in the cash-strapped country.

This abolition occurs as Lebanon's parliament is also debating a broad general amnesty law, potentially the most extensive since the end of its 15-year civil war in 1990. This amnesty could lead to reduced sentences or the release of individuals convicted of violent offenses, a prospect that has drawn protests from families of victims who had hoped for the execution of those responsible for their loved ones' deaths.

The country's judicial system has, in the past, seen high-profile cases involving capital punishment. Separately, judicial and security sources reported the detention of a former Syrian general during a routine embassy visit in Beirut, raising questions about his potential extradition.

Lebanon's decision places it at the forefront of human rights advancements in the region, aligning it with a growing international movement towards abolishing the death penalty. The focus now shifts to the implementation of the new sentencing and the broader impact of the amnesty law on the country's justice system.