Lebanon’s parliament on Tuesday abolished the death penalty and this country became the first country in the Arab world to replace it with life imprisonment along with hard labor.

The majority of Lebanon’s 128-member parliament voted in favor of abolishing executions. The Hezbollah faction was the only group that did not support it.

Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s justice minister, who was present at the session, called it a “historic step” for his country.

Human rights organizations that had called for formalizing the suspension of executions or completely abolishing the death penalty also welcomed the vote.