{
  "id": 578289,
  "title": "Lebanon becomes first Middle East country to formally abolish death penalty",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/lebanon-becomes-first-middle-east-country-to-formally-abolish-death",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-11T15:38:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/lebanon-becomes-first-middle-east-country-to-formally-abolish-death-penalty-1.500637650"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Parliament in Lebanon voted on Tuesday to formally abolish the death penalty, marking a historic decision that ends capital punishment after more than two decades of suspended executions. The legislative session also included debate on a contentious general amnesty law. Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the abolition as a \"historic\" decision. Lebanon had not carried out an execution since 2004, following an unofficial moratorium despite the death penalty remaining in the legal code. The change removes a legal barrier preventing some countries from extraditing fugitives wanted by Lebanon, as the death penalty would no longer be cited in Lebanese law as grounds for refusing extradition. Lebanon also voted in favor of a 2024 United Nations General Assembly resolution urging all nations to establish a moratorium on executions as a step towards global abolition. Israel's refusal to withdraw from certain areas in southern Lebanon during talks was reported by a source. Strikes resumed in Lebanon as negotiations took place in Rome. The EU aviation agency advised airlines to avoid airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. Israel had recently signed a US-backed peace deal.",
  "summary": "Beirut: Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday voted to abolish the death penalty, formally ending capital punishment after more than two decades in which executions had been suspended, making the country the first in the Middle East to officially repeal the punishment. Lawmakers approved the bill during a two-day legislative session that also included debate on a long-disputed general amnesty law. Get…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}