Lebanon has adopted a law abolishing the death penalty for all crimes, including applying the change retroactively, the European Union noted in a statement praising the decision.
The move was announced at the 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris on 30 June, the EU noted in the statement by its High Representative on Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas.
Executions have not been carried out in Lebanon since 2004, under what the EU described as a de facto moratorium — a halt in practice without a formal legal ban.
The EU called on countries that still use capital punishment to abolish it, and said those that have not done so should at least introduce or maintain a moratorium on executions.
EU calls for wider moratoriums
Countries considering bringing back the death penalty should refrain from doing so, the EU added.
The EU also said it expected to continue working with Lebanon on human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, and reiterated its support for the Lebanese authorities’ reform agenda.
