Lebanese lawmakers attend a parliamentary session to discuss the abolition of the death penalty in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Lebanese lawmakers have approved legislation prohibiting the death penalty, making Lebanon the first Middle Eastern country to end capital punishment.
The Lebanese Social Democratic Party said the draft law was approved Tuesday by a majority of the Lebanese Parliament following the introduction of amendments. It replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment with hard labor, according to Amnesty International, which said there are 85 people on Lebanon's death row.
"I just came to tell the Lebanese people that the death penalty was lifted and this is a historic day for Lebanon," Justice Minister Adel Nasar told reporters following the vote. "Lebanon is regaining its leading role in the region and worldwide."
In a second statement, Nasar clarified that abolishing the death penalty should not be viewed as a leniency toward crime, but a rejection of killing. Depriving someone of their freedom is "a harsher punishment," he said.
