Lebanon becomes first Arab nation to abolish death penalty

Lebanon has become the first Arab nation to abolish the death penalty, as its parliament passed legislation replacing it with life imprisonment with hard labor, according to the state-run National News Agency. Justice Minister Adel Nassar hailed the vote as a "historic step" for Lebanon. The measure, approved by a majority of the 128-member parliament, was opposed by Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc.

The draft legislation, introduced in October 2025, received support from seven lawmakers across various political blocs. It was amended before approval, with punishments for crimes committed before the law's implementation set at life imprisonment, while those committed afterward would carry aggravated life imprisonment. The abolition follows years of advocacy by Lebanese and international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, which urged Parliament in July to pass the legislation, citing Lebanon's unofficial moratorium on executions since 2004.

The National Human Rights Commission had also repeatedly called for the abolition of capital punishment, welcoming progress on the draft law in June and urging lawmakers to eliminate the death penalty and hard labor sentences from Lebanese legislation.