Lebanon’s parliament has formally abolished the death penalty, making the country the first state in the Middle East to legally end capital punishment.
Parliament approved the bill abolishing the death penalty on Tuesday, according to an announcement from the office of the parliamentary speaker.
The landmark legislation brings an end to capital punishment in Lebanon, although the country has not carried out an execution since 2004.
Justice Minister Adel Nassar described the move as “historic,” noting that the existence of the death penalty had previously complicated Lebanon’s efforts to secure the extradition of suspects from countries that had already outlawed capital punishment.
The development was welcomed by human rights advocates, with Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, describing the decision as “a monumental step for human rights in the country.”
Kaiss said the abolition represented a decisive break from what he described as a cruel and arbitrary form of punishment that should never be imposed.
Lebanon’s decision comes as parliament considers a number of other legislative proposals during its current session, including a long-debated general amnesty law.
The abolition marks a significant change in Lebanon’s criminal justice framework and places the country at the forefront of efforts to end capital punishment in the region.
