Lebanon takes another step toward abolishing the death penalty

Advocates for abolishing the death penalty in Lebanon can finally rejoice, even though the fight is not yet over. On Monday, the parliamentary human rights committee reviewed a draft law that calls for the abolition of the death penalty and its replacement with life imprisonment under what are described as "very strict" conditions.

Having now been adopted by the committee, this bill — originally submitted by seven members of Parliament (Halima Kaakour, Faisal Sayegh, Georges Okais, Paula Yacoubian, Elias Hankach, Oussama Saad and Michel Moussa) — will be sent to the general assembly. Justice Minister Adel Nassar attended the meeting.

How it happened

Bill to replace the death sentence with life imprisonment approved in committee

MP Michel Moussa, who chairs the committee, said that its members "decided to approve the abolition of the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment under very strict conditions." "The general assembly will take the decision it deems appropriate," he added.

The death penalty still exists in Lebanon, although there have been no executions since the early 2000s. In fact, the European Union imposed a moratorium on carrying out capital punishment in Lebanon, and the Lebanese state complied. Since then, death sentences handed down by the courts have been commuted to life imprisonment.

Take a look back

Twenty-two years ago, three convicts were executed in Lebanon for the last time

The fight against the death penalty has been a long-standing struggle, despite there being heated debate on the topic in the country.

Nassar specified that "the Lebanese government gave a favorable opinion on the abolition of the death penalty, which has just passed an essential step in Parliament." "We believe that from now on, Lebanon will continue to take further steps toward the effective abolition of the death penalty," he added.

Le Liban fait un pas de plus vers l'abolition de la peine de mort