Lebanon’s Parliament Approves General Amnesty Law, Reducing Sentences From 14 To 12 Years

Lebanon’s parliament approved a draft general amnesty law on Wednesday, in the first legislation of its kind since 1991, as it sought to turn a page on the crisis of overcrowded prisons.

“The Lebanese Parliament has officially approved a draft general amnesty law”

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The law was passed during a legislative session held on Wednesday, exactly as it was received from the joint parliamentary committees, and it included amendments such as reducing the minimum sentence for release from 14 years to 12 years.

Al Jazeera

Lebanon’s parliament also abolished the death penalty on Tuesday, replacing it with life imprisonment with hard labor, after a majority vote in a first-of-its-kind in the Middle East.

Lebanese media reported that the amnesty aims to benefit “thousands of arrested, convicted and wanted people,” with the Speaker’s office announcing “the passage of a draft law aimed at granting a general amnesty and exceptionally reducing the terms of certain sentences.”

Imad al-Hout, one of the lawmakers in favor of the bill, said the law reduced sentences of those facing death and life imprisonment to 17 prison years, which is equivalent to 12 years and nine months of actual imprisonment in Lebanon where a prison year is calculated as nine months.

The law also calls for the release of inmates detained for more than 12 prison years without charges as their trial continues, while Shafaq News said the amnesty applies to certain offenses committed before March 1 and covers drug-related cases, misdemeanors, felonies, and detainees held on Islamist militancy charges.

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Shafaq News reported that the measure excludes serious crimes including premeditated murder, rape, human trafficking, corruption, and the financing of terrorism, and it ties eligibility in killing cases to the consent of victims' families.

In the same legislative package, France 24 quoted the Speaker of Parliament stating: “Approval of a proposed law aiming to grant a general amnesty and to reduce the duration of some penalties in an exceptional, amended manner,” linking the measure to overcrowding and detainee conditions.

The amnesty vote took place during a session marked by walkouts, with Shafaq News saying the Free Patriotic Movement led by Jibran Basil and Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc led by Mohamad Raad withdrew over a dispute concerning Defense Minister Michel Menassa.

“The vote took place during a session marked by the walkout of two major blocs”

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Naharnet reported that Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah MPs left the parliamentary session after Menassa was not allowed to deliver a speech on the general amnesty bill for a second day in a row, and it described a heated argument on Tuesday between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Menassa.

Le Monde reported that the amnesty debate has polarized for years, with authorities not specifying immediately how many people were affected, while the National Human Rights Council’s annual report said the rate of prison overcrowding reached 300% in 2025 and the Corrections Administration counted 6,268 detainees at the end of March.

In the background to the amnesty, Le Monde said the issue resurfaced after the fall of Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024, and it added that the measure should notably benefit Islamist detainees, many imprisoned for many years often without trial for incidents related to the war in neighboring Syria.