Lebanon Passes Amnesty Law for Prisoners, Wanted People

Lebanon’s parliament passed a landmark general amnesty law on Wednesday, reducing sentences and offering freedom to thousands of prisoners and wanted individuals in the country’s first such legislation since 1991.

The bill directly tackles severe prison overcrowding, which the National Human Rights Commission estimated at 300 per cent capacity.

Under the new measures, authorities will cap death and life sentences at 17 prison years—equivalent to roughly 12 years and nine months of real time—and immediately release inmates held without charges for more than 12 prison years.

The legislation reflects a broad political compromise among Lebanon’s major factions following years of intense debate.

Momentum built for the bill after the 2024 fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as Sunni politicians pushed for the release of Islamist inmates detained during Syria’s civil war.

Simultaneously, Shia leaders secured amnesties for residents facing drug-related and theft warrants in the east, while Christian parties successfully advocated for families associated with an Israeli-backed proxy militia that fled the country in 2000.