Lebanon Becomes First Arab Nation to Abolish Death Penalty
On July 9, 2026, members of three parliamentary committees in Lebanon jointly approved a draft law to abolish capital punishment, pushing the nation toward becoming the first in the Middle East to formally end the death penalty, according to Human Rights Watch. The legislative milestone follows a two-decade unofficial moratorium on executions.
Two Decades of Frozen Executions
While courts have continued to hand down death sentences over the years, actual executions have remained frozen since 2004. According to estimates from the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights, approximately 84 prisoners currently face death sentences across the country’s penal system.
From Civil Rights Draft to Committee Approval
The draft legislation now heading toward the parliament’s general assembly was originally prepared by the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights. Seven members of parliament formally submitted the text on October 7, 2025. Following review by the cabinet, which endorsed the measure during a November 20 session, the text cleared key legislative hurdles through the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee and the Administration and Justice Committee before winning joint committee approval.
Overhauling the Penal Code
Under the finalized text reviewed by Human Rights Watch, the legislation strikes down capital punishment wherever it appears under Lebanese law. It amends article 37 of the Penal Code to replace the death penalty with a newly structured punishment: life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor. It also repeals article 43 of the Penal Code alongside articles 420 to 424 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which previously governed the mechanics of carrying out executions.
Legal Agenda, a local rights organization, noted that the creation of the aggravated hard labor provision functions primarily as a formal legislative shift, given that Lebanon does not actively enforce hard labor provisions within its prison system.
Advocates and International Alignment
International and domestic human rights advocates have tracked these developments closely. Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, emphasized the necessity of a permanent legislative break from capital punishment. Michel Moussa, head of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, Halime Kaakour, one of the seven sponsoring members of parliament, and Ogarit Younan, head of the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights and founder of the National Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty in Lebanon, all engaged directly with rights monitors during the drafting and committee review phases.
Lebanon’s recent trajectory at the United Nations mirrors this domestic shift. In 2020, 2022, and 2024, Beirut voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling on member states to establish moratoriums on executions with the ultimate goal of abolition.
Preparing for the General Assembly Vote
As the legislation advances toward a final vote in the general assembly, legal professionals, human rights advocates, and institutional stakeholders are preparing for structural adjustments within the criminal justice sector. Organizations navigating complex legislative reforms and compliance mandates frequently rely on specialized human rights advocacy organizations and constitutional law firms to manage transitional frameworks and policy implementation.
