Lebanon Nears Historic Abolition of Death Penalty

Members of three Lebanese parliamentary committees approved a draft law on July 9, 2026, to abolish the death penalty, potentially making Lebanon the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment. Lebanon has maintained an unofficial moratorium on executions since 2004 and has consistently voted for UN resolutions calling for a global moratorium. The draft law would replace the death penalty with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor, removing relevant articles from Lebanon’s Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure.

However, rights groups like Legal Agenda note the “aggravated hard labor” provision may be largely symbolic given Lebanon’s lack of enforcement in this area. Approximately 84 prisoners currently face death sentences in the country.

The draft law now moves to the parliament’s general assembly for a vote on July 15 and 16. Passage would represent a major human rights advancement, especially as some neighboring countries, like Israel and Jordan, have recently expanded or resumed use of capital punishment.