Lebanon passes long-sought amnesty law, a day after death penalty repeal

What the report says

Lebanon’s parliament has approved a general amnesty law, a move that could affect thousands of prisoners, detainees and wanted people, according to Al Jazeera’s report and Lebanon’s official National News Agency. The vote took place on Wednesday in Beirut, one day after lawmakers formally abolished the death penalty. It is the first amnesty law of this kind in Lebanon since 1991.

The legislation is designed to “exceptionally” reduce some prison terms, the parliament speaker’s office said. Al Jazeera reported that lawmakers supporting the bill said it lowers death and life sentences to 17 prison years, which in Lebanon’s system is described as about 12 years and nine months of actual imprisonment. The law also provides for the release of some people in ongoing cases who have spent more than 12 prison years in detention without charges.

The measure comes amid long-running criticism of overcrowded prisons and prolonged pretrial detention. Al Jazeera cited the country’s National Human Rights Commission as saying prison overcrowding reached 300 percent in its 2025 report, with authorities reporting at least 6,268 inmates by the end of March. Officials have not yet said how many people will be freed or have sentences reduced.

The law has been politically sensitive, with support from several factions and objections from some families of soldiers and servicemen killed in attacks. Al Jazeera also noted that calls for amnesty grew after Bashar al-Assad’s fall in 2024, as many detainees in Lebanon were linked to the Syrian conflict.