As Lebanon abolishes death penalty, these Arab countries still allow executions

Lebanon has become only the second Arab League member, after Djibouti, to abolish the death penalty, ending a legal practice that had persisted despite a de facto moratorium for over two decades. The Lebanese parliament voted to replace capital punishment with life imprisonment and hard labor, effectively eliminating the death penalty from their legal framework.

Existing death sentences have been converted to life imprisonment with hard labor, and the country no longer executes individuals. This move marks Lebanon as the first Arab state to completely eliminate capital punishment, surpassing Djibouti's abolition in 1995. However, the majority of Arab League countries still retain the death penalty in their laws.

These countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Palestine. Amnesty International reports that at least 85 people were on death row in Lebanon as of January 2023, highlighting the magnitude of the legal change.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, praised Lebanon's decision, urging other countries with the death penalty to follow suit. The move comes amid broader debates within Lebanon regarding criminal justice reforms, including potential amnesty legislation and concerns about overcrowded prisons. While some MPs opposed the abolition, citing potential impacts on certain criminal cases, the majority supported the law, emphasizing the importance of protecting fundamental rights and deterring crime through humane means.