Lebanon’s parliament voted Tuesday to abolish the death penalty, a major move welcomed by international bodies and human rights organizations.
Although a majority of the 128 members of parliament voted in favor of the bill, Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc notably voted against ending capital punishment.
The legislation will now go before Lebanon’s cabinet before being submitted to President Joseph Aoun for approval.
It has been more than 20 years since Lebanon last carried out an execution. In January 2004, Ahmad Ali Mansour, Badi Hamadeh, and Remi Antoan Zaatar were executed in connection with separate murder cases involving multiple victims.
Hamadeh, who was executed by firing squad, was convicted of killing three security officers during a 2002 raid on his fiancée’s home. Mansour, who was hanged, was convicted of murdering eight of his colleagues when he opened fire at a teachers’ pension fund in 2002. Zaatar was also hanged after being convicted of killing three people during an armed robbery.
European Commission VP Kallas welcomes decision
Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, welcomed parliament’s decision in a statement Tuesday.
“The abolition of the death penalty for all crimes, including through its retroactive application, is an important achievement,” Kallas said. She added that the move builds on Lebanon’s de facto moratorium on executions, maintained since 2004, and demonstrates the country’s commitment to respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the right to life.
“As the first country in the region to abolish the death penalty, Lebanon is setting a powerful example for other countries in the Middle East and beyond, reinforcing the strong global trend towards abolition and the growing international support for ending the death penalty worldwide,” Kallas said.
