Short summary: Lebanon death penalty abolition advanced as parliament approved a law ending capital punishment for all crimes, pending final enactment.
Lebanon death penalty abolition moved a decisive step closer on 11 August 2026 when parliament approved legislation ending capital punishment for all crimes. The law replaces death sentences with life imprisonment with hard labour, but must still receive the President’s final signature and be published in the Official Gazette before it enters into force.
Amnesty International welcomed the parliamentary vote as a major human rights milestone after more than two decades without an execution in Lebanon. The organization said the change would convert the country’s long-standing suspension of executions into legal protection for the right to life once the remaining enactment steps are completed.
Lebanese parliament approves abolition law
The legislation passed after a multi-stage parliamentary process. Seven members of parliament submitted the draft to the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee on 7 October 2025. The cabinet issued a favourable advisory opinion on 20 November 2025, and the Human Rights Committee approved the proposal on 23 February 2026.
The Parliamentary Justice Committee endorsed the draft on 2 June, followed by the Joint Committee on 9 July. Parliament then approved it in a full session on 11 August. The measure is now due to be transmitted to the President for signature and publication.
Lebanon has not carried out an execution since 17 January 2004. However, 85 people remained under death sentences at the end of January 2026, according to figures from the Directorate of Prisons at the Ministry of Justice cited by Amnesty International.
Death sentences still require commutation
Amnesty International called on Lebanese authorities to commute all existing death sentences and ensure that the reform is implemented consistently with human rights principles. It also urged broader changes to the criminal justice system, including safeguards for dignity, fairness and due process.
The organization further called on Lebanon to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Ratification would establish an international legal commitment to abolition and help make the change more difficult to reverse.
Civil society advocacy reaches parliament
The parliamentary decision follows years of advocacy by Lebanese and international civil society. Amnesty International highlighted the work of the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights, the National Campaign for the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Lebanon and the Association Justice and Mercy, known as AJEM.
Once the law enters into force, Lebanon is poised to become the 114th country to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. Amnesty International reports that 145 countries are abolitionist in law or practice, while 54 continue to retain capital punishment.
The vote therefore represents a major institutional shift, but implementation remains essential. Presidential signature, publication, commutation of current death sentences and further justice reforms will determine how the parliamentary decision changes legal practice.
