Inside Lebanon's proposed amnesty law: More than 3,400 prisoners could benefit

Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Lebanon's prisons currently hold 8,587 inmates, with around 3,422 detainees expected to benefit from a proposed general amnesty law if it is approved in the form discussed Tuesday during a joint parliamentary committee session.

Under the draft law, the overwhelming majority of eligible prisoners would be released immediately upon the law's publication in the official gazette.

Among those covered by the proposed amnesty are Islamist detainees and convicts, whose total number stands at 132, including 101 Lebanese nationals and 31 Palestinians. 

According to the proposal, 90 Islamist prisoners would be freed immediately, while 42 others would remain in prison to complete reduced sentences ranging from two to 10 years. The latter group includes prominent figures such as Ahmad al-Assir, Naim Abbas, and Abou Taqiyeh.

The proposed law would also apply to 1,802 detainees and convicts in drug-related cases, with the vast majority expected to be released once the law takes effect.

A similar mechanism would apply to prisoners convicted of misdemeanors and felonies. That category includes 1,488 detainees, most of whom would also be released immediately.

However, officials say it remains impossible to determine the final number of prisoners who would be freed right away because the final formula for reducing sentences has not yet been settled.

In drug, misdemeanor, and felony cases, many inmates face multiple convictions, meaning the judiciary alone would be responsible, after the law's adoption, for calculating the reduced sentences on a case-by-case basis.

Under the proposed framework, sentences would be reduced as follows: death sentences would become 21 years of effective imprisonment, life sentences would be reduced to 12 years and seven months, while all other prison terms would be cut by one-third.

Despite the broad outline of the proposal, the draft law still requires further discussion and political consensus before it can be approved, amid ongoing objections from several parties.