Capital punishment in Lebanon
 | This article needs more citations. (May 2017) |
Capital punishment was abolished[1] in Lebanon on August 11, 2026. Lebanon was the first Arab country in the Middle East to do so.[2] The last execution was carried out in 2004.[3]
In February 2026, a bill to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment was approved by a parliamentary committee. The bill needed to be approved by the general assembly.[4] In August 2026, the Lebanese Parliament abolished the death penalty.[5]
The methods prescribed by law were hanging and firing squad, although hanging had been the predominant method throughout Lebanese history. Carrying out an execution required approval from the Minister of Justice, the Prime Minister and the President.[6]
The statute books of Lebanon carried a long list of capital crimes, including murder, espionage, treason, terrorism, collaborating with Israeli forces and if the crime is especially heinous enough, rape, child rape, gang-robbery or gang-assault involving torture, arson against certain types of structures or sabotage of communications, transportation or industrial facilities causing death, aggravated assault involving torture, life-eligible crimes with recidivism, importing nuclear/toxic wastes, polluting rivers or waterways with harmful substances and some military offenses (e.g. desertion).[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Lebanon abolishes death penalty in landmark parliament vote". AP News. 2026-08-11. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
- ↑ "Lebanon abolishes the death penalty after 22 years without an execution | Oxford Law Blogs". blogs.law.ox.ac.uk. 2026-08-11. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
- ↑ "Lebanon". World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ↑ "Lebanon takes another step toward abolishing the death penalty". L'Orient Today. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "مجلس النواب يلغي عقوبة الإعدام... ماذا دار بين الحاج حسن والحشيمي؟". lebanondebate.com. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ "Lebanon abolishes the death penalty after 22 years without an execution | Oxford Law Blogs". blogs.law.ox.ac.uk. 2026-08-11. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
- ↑ "The Death Penalty in Lebanon". Death Penalty Worldwide. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
 | This Lebanon-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
 | This article about capital punishment is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |