Responding to the Lebanese parliament’s approval of a law that abolishes the death penalty for all crimes, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at, said:
“Lebanon’s decision to abolish the death penalty marks a major milestone and a victory for human rights in the country. Justice must be rooted in human rights, not in an irreversible and cruel punishment. After more than two decades without executions, today’s step transforms a precarious hiatus in executions into lasting legal protection upholding the right to life and bringing Lebanon in line with the global trend towards abolition.
Justice must be rooted in human rights, not in an irreversible and cruel punishment.
Heba Morayef, Amnesty International.
“The passing of this law is testament to the decades of tireless advocacy by Lebanese human rights defenders and organizations, as well as the leadership of key officials who recognized the death penalty as a cruel and inhuman punishment, often imposed after unfair proceedings and the burden of which frequently falls on those at most disadvantage.
“To turn this law from paper to practice, Lebanese authorities must now ensure that all death sentences are commuted and ratify the key international treaty on abolition, while advancing broader reforms to strengthen a justice system based on dignity, fairness and respect for human rights. Authorities must accompany this law with broader legislative reform, including to ensure that any criminal justice punishments are consistent with human rights principles.”
Background
On 11 August the Lebanese parliament approved a law that abolishes the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment with hard labour as an alternative sentence.
Lebanon has not carried out any executions since 17 January 2004. As of the end of January 2026, 85 people remained on death row, according to the Directorate of Prisons at the Ministry of Justice. The adoption of this law follows sustained efforts by Lebanese and international civil society. At the forefront of the advocacy efforts have been the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights (LACR), the National Campaign for the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Lebanon and the Association Justice and Mercy (AJEM).
On 7 October 2025, seven members of parliament submitted the draft law to the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee. After seeking the government’s opinion, the cabinet issued a favourable advisory on 20 November 2025. The draft law was approved by the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee on 23 February 2026 and subsequently adopted by the Parliamentary Justice Committee and by the Joint Committee on 2 June and 9 July 2026, respectively, before being approved by the full session of parliament on 11 August 2026. The law is due to be transmitted to the President for final signature and published in the Official Gazette before entering into force.
To make the abolition of the death penalty irreversible under international human rights law, the Lebanese authorities must ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the individual, or the method used by the state. Lebanon is poised to become the 114th country that has abolished the death penalty for all crimes once the law comes into effect. A total of 145 countries worldwide are abolitionist in law or practice, while 54 countries continue to retain it.