Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty

Key Points:

• Lebanon's parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, potentially becoming the first Middle Eastern country to formally end capital punishment, with the legislation now moving to the cabinet and President Joseph Aoun for approval.
• Despite the abolition vote, Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc opposed the measure, and the new law will replace the death penalty with life imprisonment with hard labour, though details on enforcement remain unclear.
• Lebanon has observed a de facto moratorium on executions since 2004, but more than 78 people remain on death row, and the move follows decades of activism by civil society groups advocating for abolition.
• The death penalty in Lebanon was previously applicable for serious crimes such as aggravated murder, terrorism-related offences, treason, and espionage, with prior abolition attempts failing in 2004 and 2008.
• Lebanon's abolition contrasts with developments elsewhere in the region, including Israel's recent expansion of capital punishment laws and concerns over increased executions in Iran, highlighted by the UN human rights chief.