Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 01:04pm on 12 Aug 2026,Wednesday International
Lebanon’s parliament has abolished the death penalty, making it the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment. The law replaces death sentences with life imprisonment and aggravated hard labour. Lebanon has not carried out an execution since 2004, although courts continued to issue death sentences. Amnesty International said at least 85 people were on death row as of January. Justice Minister Adel Nassar called the move “historic”, while UN rights chief Volker Turk urged other Middle Eastern countries to follow Lebanon’s example. Rights groups welcomed the decision but called for all existing death sentences to be commuted and further legal reforms. (PC: X)
