Lebanon abolishes death penalty in Middle East first

Lebanon's parliament abolished the death penalty on Tuesday, the speaker of parliament's office said, in what AFP described as the first formal end to the practice in the Middle East.

The speaker's office said the draft law aimed at abolishing capital punishment was approved. Lebanon had not carried out an execution since 2004.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar called the abolition historic and said the possibility of capital punishment had previously prevented Beirut from obtaining the extradition of suspects from countries where the death penalty has been outlawed.

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told AFP the move was a major step for human rights in the country. The abolition came during a legislative session that also included a long-debated general amnesty law.