Lebanon abolishes death penalty in landmark parliamentary vote

Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday passed a landmark bill to abolish the death penalty, the National News Agency (NNA) reported, reported Xinhua.

The bill was approved by a majority of the 128-member parliament, according to NNA.

The move makes Lebanon the first country in the Middle East to formally abolish capital punishment, according to local channel LBCI TV.

In a statement, the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon welcomed the bill, noting that the abolition, including its retroactive application, builds on the country's de facto moratorium on executions maintained since 2004.