Lebanon becomes first Arab nation to abolish death penalty

Its parliament passes a historic law replacing capital punishment with life imprisonment despite opposition from Hezbollah The vote makes Lebanon the first Arab country to formally abolish the death penalty. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who attended the parliamentary session, described the vote as a “historic step” for Lebanon. The proposal, put forward by MP Abdul Rahman al-Bizri, was amended before it was approved. Under the amended law, crimes committed before the legislation takes effect will be punished by life imprisonment, while offences committed after it takes effect will carry aggravated life imprisonment, according to NNA.

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