Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty as Hezbollah Alone Opposes Vote

A majority of Lebanon's 128-member parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, making it the first Arab country to formally end capital punishment. The law replaces death sentences with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labor. Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc was the only bloc to oppose the measure, while Justice Minister Adel Nassar called the vote a historic step. Lebanon had observed an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004, although courts continued issuing death sentences that were later suspended or commuted. Rights groups welcomed the decision.