The Lebanese Parliament on Tuesday abolished the death penalty, making the country the first in the Middle East to officially abandon this practice. “The bill aimed at abolishing the death penalty in Lebanon was approved after amendments were made to it,” the speaker of parliament’s office reported.
Lebanon has not carried out executions since 2004. Justice Minister Adel Nassar called the abolition “historic” and noted that the threat of the death penalty had previously complicated Beirut’s efforts to obtain the extradition of suspects from countries where the death penalty is banned.
Historic decision and extradition issues
Ramzi Kaiss, a researcher at Human Rights Watch in Lebanon, told AFP that this step is “a landmark step for human rights in the country, marking a clear break with the cruel and arbitrary punishment that should never be applied.”
The abolition of the death penalty took place as part of a series of bills to be discussed during the current legislative session. These include a general amnesty law that has been under discussion for several years.
Source: France 24
