The Lebanese Parliament has passed a law granting a general amnesty
The Lebanese Parliament has approved a general amnesty law that is expected to cover thousands of convicted prisoners, detainees, and wanted individuals. The decision was adopted on Wednesday by a show of hands, Al Jazeera English reports, citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
This is the first law of its kind since 1991. The office of the Speaker of Parliament stated that the law will, on an exceptional basis, reduce certain prison terms. Various political forces in the country have long called for the passage of this law, particularly due to prison overcrowding, where many people have been awaiting trial for years.
According to data from the National Commission for Human Rights in Lebanon, published in its 2025 report, prison overcrowding reached 300%. At the end of March, prison authorities reported at least 6,268 inmates.
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MP Imad al-Hut, who supported the bill, stated that sentences for those convicted of capital punishment and life imprisonment have been reduced to 17 “prison years.” In Lebanon, a “prison year” is calculated as nine months, so this term corresponds to 12 years and nine months of actual imprisonment.
The law also provides for the release of prisoners whose cases are still pending and who have been held for more than 12 prison years without being charged. At the same time, the initiative has sparked opposition among some relatives of the slain Lebanese soldiers and security personnel, who fear excessive leniency toward those responsible for the attacks.
Lebanese authorities have not yet announced how many people may be released or whose sentences will be reduced. The law was passed the day after the country’s parliament formally abolished the death penalty.
