HISTORIC ABOLITION: Lebanon Scraps Death Penalty in Landmark Vote as Hezbollah Stands Alone in Opposition

Lebanon's parliament voted Tuesday to abolish the death penalty, replacing capital punishment with life imprisonment and hard labor. The country's justice minister described the action as a "historic step," And the legislation makes Lebanon the first Arab country to formally abolish the death penalty in law.

A majority of lawmakers in the 128-member parliament supported the measure, with Hezbollah the only parliamentary faction to oppose it. Lebanon has maintained an effective moratorium on executions since 2004, though capital punishment remained part of Lebanese law and courts continued to hand down death sentences in dozens of cases. Those sentences were either not carried out or subsequently commuted.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar hailed parliament's approval as a "historic step." Human rights organizations also welcomed the decision. Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the move marked a definitive break with what he described as a cruel punishment that should never have been imposed.

Under the new legislation, death sentences will be replaced with life imprisonment accompanied by hard labor. However, several lawmakers acknowledged that the conditions and definition of the enhanced hard-labor provision remain unclear. Lebanon's overcrowded and underfunded prison system could also complicate implementation of the new sentences.

The vote comes as lawmakers simultaneously debate a proposed general amnesty law that could reduce sentences or lead to early release of certain prisoners. Families of Lebanese soldiers and security personnel killed or wounded by Islamist organizations have opposed that proposal. Hezbollah opposed abolishing the death penalty on grounds that lawmakers should first approve the amnesty legislation, arguing the combination of both laws could result in punishments being reduced too significantly for individuals convicted of attacking Hezbollah members. Despite those objections, parliament approved the abolition.