Lebanon’s Amnesty debate

While Lebanon continues to face war, security tensions and political instability, Parliament is debating another urgent issue: who should remain in prison, and who deserves a second chance? The proposed general amnesty law has become one of Lebanon’s most sensitive political files because it brings together prison overcrowding, delayed trials, sectarian concerns and the rights of victims. If adopted, it would be Lebanon’s broadest amnesty law in 35 years, following the last major amnesty passed in 1991 after the Civil War.

A law designed to open prison doors

On March 24, 2026, Democratic Gathering MPs Bilal Abdullah, Marwan Hamadeh and Akram Chehayeb presented a general amnesty proposal. A separate proposal was later drafted on April 23, 2026, by eight Sunni MPs: Nabil Badr, Ahmad al-Khair, Walid Baarini, Abdel Rahman al-Bizri, Imad al-Hout, Mohammad Sleiman, Abdel Aziz al-Samad and Bilal al-Hashimi. The proposal would grant amnesty for certain offences and reduce some prison sentences, while excluding more serious crimes.

The version approved by the joint parliamentary committees would replace the death penalty with a 28-year prison sentence and reduce life imprisonment to 17 years. It would also allow the sentences of a person convicted of up to 3 offences to be combined, while keeping the victim’s right to claim compensation. The proposal would also allow the release of detainees who have spent at least 14 years in prison without receiving a final judgment.

Intentional murder, the killing of soldiers or security personnel, espionage or collaboration with Israel, serious drug trafficking, human trafficking and major financial crimes would remain excluded or would receive only limited sentence reductions.

The numbers behind the pressure

Lebanon has 25 prisons across the country, in addition to 229 detention centers and police holding cells used mainly for temporary detention. The Justice Ministry’s Directorate of Prisons recorded 6,268 inmates in Lebanese prisons on March 30, 2026. However, broader figures presented during the parliamentary debate placed the total number of people held across prisons and temporary detention facilities at approximately 8,576. Of this wider total, 5,756 were reportedly being held in pretrial detention, including 3,403 Lebanese, approximately 1,700 Syrians and around 653 Palestinians or detainees of other nationalities. Estimates suggest that between 3,000 and 4,000 people could benefit from an amnesty or a reduction in their sentences, depending on the final version of the law.

The Justice Ministry’s prison statistics are organized by nationality, age, sex, education, offence and judicial status. Within the amnesty debate, however, some groups are discussed through broader political labels that do not always correspond to official prison categories. Estimates for so-called “Islamist detainees,” for example, range from around 180 prisoners in Roumieh to approximately 400 when detainees in other prisons, including Syrian and Palestinian prisoners, are also included. The total therefore varies according to how the category is defined and which prisons and nationalities are counted.

Why now?

Transfers from prisons in southern Lebanon and Baalbek reportedly increased overcrowding from approximately 200 percent to nearly 300 percent. Poor medical services, limited space and long periods of pretrial detention have increased pressure for an immediate solution. Figures presented by MP Ashraf Rifi indicated that 48 prisoners died during 2025 and another 13 died during the first four months of 2026.

The problem continued during the renewed 2026 escalation. The National Human Rights Commission said the conflict disrupted courts, detention facilities and the administration of justice. Its emergency initiative, launched on March 3, 2026, prepared 132 applications for bail or conditional release. By July, 53 detainees had been released and lawyers were preparing another 65 applications.

Families of prisoners and several Sunni political groups have also renewed pressure to resolve cases connected to the Nahr al-Bared fighting, the Abra clashes, violence in Tripoli and the Syrian war. Their main argument is that some prisoners have spent years in detention without receiving timely final judgments.

The strongest support comes from Sunni MPs, the National Moderation and National Accord blocs, and families of Islamist detainees. They describe the proposal as a humanitarian correction that would reduce overcrowding and help people who have suffered from slow trials and excessive detention.

Amnesty or political bargain?

Opponents fear that a broad amnesty could erase accountability instead of repairing the justice system. Families of soldiers killed in armed clashes strongly oppose releasing anyone involved in attacks against the army. Legal organizations also argue that amnesty cannot replace faster trials, judicial independence and long-term prison reform.

The controversy also reflects Lebanon’s sectarian political system. Sunni MPs have pushed for broader amnesty for Islamist detainees, including people held or convicted in security cases and some of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir’s supporters. Shiite political representatives have been associated with demands to include people convicted or wanted for drug-related offences, particularly in Baalbek-Hermel. Christian MPs and religious leaders, meanwhile, have called for a settlement allowing Lebanese citizens who fled to Israel after its withdrawal in 2000, including former South Lebanon Army members and their families, to return. These competing demands have raised fears that the law could become a political exchange between sectarian blocs rather than one legal standard applied equally to everyone.

Why the vote has not happened yet

The proposal was placed on Parliament’s July 15-16 agenda but was never put to a vote. Around ten Sunni MPs boycotted part of the session amid disagreements over the proposal, while the Lebanese Forces later withdrew, causing Parliament to lose its quorum. The dispute also involved whether the amnesty should be discussed before or after the separate proposal to abolish the death penalty.

The situation has since changed. Ahead of Parliament’s August 11-12 session, the amnesty proposal was moved to the third item on the agenda. Sunni MPs involved in the negotiations reached a common formula that was discussed with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and presented to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The new amendments would allow detainees who have spent 12 years in prison to be released while their trials continue, instead of the 14-year threshold contained in the earlier version. Berri has reportedly shown willingness to support the amendments, while the Lebanese Forces have also indicated they could vote in favor. The Free Patriotic Movement remains opposed, and the Lebanese Army has raised reservations over parts of the proposal.

The proposal therefore remains caught between two legitimate demands: correcting injustices caused by overcrowded prisons and delayed trials, while ensuring that serious crimes are not forgotten and that victims are not sacrificed for another political compromise.