Lebanon moved a step closer to abolishing the death penalty on Thursday when a session of joint parliamentary committees approved replacing the legislation with life imprisonment and sent the bill to the House of Representatives for a vote.
While Lebanese courts do hand down death sentences, no execution has been carried out in the country since 2004. However, removing the death penalty is seen as an important development in the country's laws, particularly at a time of war.
“It's historic. Killing by the name of law is not something [I support],” Paula Yacoubian, one of the MPs who proposed the bill, told The National.
“Maybe at the national level there are many other priorities, but in parallel each ministry has to do its own job,” said an official from the Lebanese Forces, parliament’s largest party, which also supports the abolition of the death penalty. “We cannot put everything on hold.”
The law would need to be passed in a parliamentary session with at least 65 of the 128 MPs present. Given the meeting of the joint committees included MPs from across the political spectrum, it seems likely to pass when Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri calls a General Assembly for a vote, which is expected next week. If passed, it would be sent to the cabinet and then President Joseph Aoun for approval.
The government has already signalled its approval of the law and there have been no major protests.
There are about 80 prisoners in Lebanon facing the death sentence, which is applicable for crimes such as murder, terrorism and treason.
The bill to abolish the death penalty comes amid attempts at wider reform of the justice and penal systems, which have been criticised for delays, abuse and political interference.
About 8,500 people are being held under the country's penal system, which has capacity for only 4,500. Many have not faced trial. Authorities are seeking to relieve the pressure through a contentious amnesty law under which many detainees would be released or have their sentences put on hold.
The amnesty law was floated at the same time as the death penalty abolition bill earlier this year, but the former is essentially on hold amid political sensitivities – exacerbated by the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war.
