Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty in a Regional First, Amnesty Reports

What happened

Al Jazeera Lebanon reports that Lebanon’s 128-member parliament approved a move to abolish the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour. This development follows an unofficial moratorium on executions in Lebanon that has been in effect since January 2004.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The Lebanese Ministry of Justice’s Directorate of Prisons noted that despite the moratorium, courts continued issuing dozens of death sentences, with 85 people on death row at the end of 2025. The abolition means these sentences will no longer lead to executions.

According to Amnesty International’s global data, about three-quarters of countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, with 113 countries abolishing it for all crimes and nine abolishing it for ordinary crimes only. Executions globally dropped to historic lows, with 17 countries carrying out executions in 2025.

Known from the source

• Lebanon’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour.
• Lebanon has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004.
• At the end of 2025, 85 people were on death row in Lebanon according to the Ministry of Justice’s Directorate of Prisons.
• Amnesty International reports almost three-quarters of countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty in law or practice as of December 2025.
• Executions worldwide increased by 78 percent in 2025 to 2,707, largely due to Iran’s rise in executions.

What remains unclear

Amnesty’s report also highlighted a sharp increase in executions in Iran, which more than doubled its use of capital punishment from 972 in 2024 to at least 2,159 in 2025. This spike contributed to an overall 78 percent rise in recorded executions worldwide, reaching 2,707 in 2025.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Confirm exact date and vote count of Lebanon’s parliamentary abolition of the death penalty. Confirm current legal procedures following abolition and any statements from key Lebanese officials or judiciary. Check for any conflicting reports on whether any executions took place after the moratorium.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: Al Jazeera Lebanon. Open the source.