Lebanon abolishes death penalty in Middle East first
Lebanon’s parliament on Aug. 11 abolished the death penalty, making the country the first in the Middle East to formally end the practice.
Lebanon had not carried out an execution since 2004, but sentences were still being issued, the latest being on Aug. 10, and Amnesty International said at least 85 people were still on death row by January.
Capital punishment typically applied to major crimes like murder, terrorism and espionage, among others.
The most severe crimes will now be given life sentences with hard labor, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
