Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty - BBC News

The new law - which next goes to the cabinet for approval - would make Lebanon the first country in the Middle East to end capital punishment.

Image source, Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesImage caption, Protesters hold cardboard figures with ropes round their necks during a rally against the death penalty in Beirut, Lebanon in October 2013.

Lebanon's parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, a move that would make it the first country in the Middle East to formally end capital punishment.

A majority of MPs in the 128-seat parliament backed the measure on Tuesday, while Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc voted against it.

The legislation will now go to the cabinet before being passed to President Joseph Aoun for signing. The government has already expressed its support for the measure.

Lebanon has not carried out an execution since January 2004, although courts have continued to hand down death sentences. Rights groups estimate that more than 78 people remain on death row.