Lebanon becomes the first Middle Eastern country to abolish the death penalty. The Parliament approved on Tuesday a bill regarding this historic decision.
The state has not applied the death penalty for over 20 years, writes Antena3. Once the new regulations come into effect, crimes that were previously punishable by death will be replaced with life imprisonment.
The Minister of Justice from Lebanon, Adel Nassar, told the local press that, through this abolition, Lebanon “claims its role as a pioneer in the region as a defender of human rights”. According to him, “by abolishing the death penalty, Lebanon has chosen to fight crime instead of resorting to capital punishment”.
He also reiterated that the abolition of capital punishment should not be interpreted as a form of leniency towards crimes and criminals.