🔸 Abolition of the death penalty; a historic step in Lebanon

Lebanon’s parliament has abolished the death penalty. A majority of 128 members voted to replace the death sentence with life imprisonment along with heavy forced labor. Members of the Hezbollah bloc, the Iran-backed Shia paramilitary group, voted against the abolition of the death penalty.

Since 2004, no death sentences had been carried out in Lebanon, but issuing such a ruling continued, and the latest case was also issued on Monday. According to Amnesty International, in January, 85 prisoners in this country were awaiting execution of their death sentences.

Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s justice minister, described the decision as a “historic step.” According to him, the presence of the death penalty in Lebanon had, until now, prevented the extradition of suspects from countries where the execution of death sentences is prohibited.

Human rights organizations also welcomed the decision. Rami Qais, a human rights activist from Human Rights Watch, told AFP that the decision is a “milestone for human rights in this country,” which, according to him, represents “an explicit break from a cruel and arbitrary punishment that essentially should never have been applied.”

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also called on all countries where the death penalty is still in place to follow Lebanon and “put an end to this inhuman practice.” He added: “Lebanon, through this action, is the first country in the region to take such a step.”

France described Lebanon’s decision as “historic and courageous.” Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, wrote on the social media platform X that the parliament’s vote shows that Lebanon “remains a model, with its own ability to safeguard the democratic values and freedoms that form the foundation of this country’s existence.”

The European Union also said that Lebanon provides “a powerful example for other countries in the Middle East and beyond.”