Lebanon abolishes death penalty in first for region

BEIRUT, Aug 11 - Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday abolished the death penalty and replaced all existing death sentences with life imprisonment, the speaker's office said in a statement.

The move makes it the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment, after maintaining a de facto moratorium on executions since 2004, although dozens of people had remained technically on death row. Crimes that were punishable with a death sentence included murder and treason.

Last year, Lebanese lawmakers submitted a law to abolish capital punishment. Parliament's statement on Tuesday did not include a vote count.

The European Union welcomed the move, saying Lebanon was setting "a powerful example for other countries" in the Middle East and beyond.

“Lebanon’s decision to abolish the death penalty marks a major milestone and a victory for human rights in the country," said Amnesty International's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Heba Morayef.

"After more than two decades without executions, today’s step transforms a precarious hiatus in executions into lasting legal protection upholding the right to life and bringing Lebanon in line with the global trend towards abolition," Morayef said.

Lebanon's parliament is separately discussing legislation on a general amnesty for some crimes, partly as a way to relieve overcrowding in prisons. REUTERS