Lebanon’s general amnesty law is set to take effect after the Constitutional Council unanimously rejected a challenge to it on Monday, clearing the way for its implementation.
The council requested clarifications on certain provisions concerning corruption, but “the interpretations will not change the law’s effects,” a judicial source told Arab News. The presidency was informed of the decision in line with legal procedures.
The law, passed by the Lebanese parliament in mid-August, grants amnesty for specified offenses committed before March 1, 2026. It also reduces some sentences in exceptional circumstances, and sets out measures for detainees who have spent long periods in custody without receiving final verdicts. It excludes serious crimes that affect state security, human life and public funds.
The Free Patriotic Movement parliamentary bloc, headed by MP Gebran Bassil, had filed an appeal against the law before the Constitutional Council after President Joseph Aoun signed it.
The challenge delayed its implementation and prompted a hunger and medication strike by inmates at Roumieh Central Prison. The protest began on Sept. 12 and spread to prisons in Jeb Jenin, Baalbek and Rashaya. More than 600 inmates reportedly took part and seven detainees died. A banner hung from a cell window by strikers read: “Keep us in the spotlight; keep your eyes on the prisons.”
After the council’s ruling on Monday, a spokesperson for the prisoners said the 30-day strike had ended, but some inmates were “disappointed by the council’s interpretations,” arguing that they changed the substance of several provisions rather than simply clarifying how to apply them.
The law was passed after months of debate amid severe prison overcrowding and lengthy delays in trials. Supporters said it would help address the cases of detainees who have not been convicted, and ease pressure on prisons.
Critics, including families of Lebanese Army personnel, said it reflected a political and sectarian deal and could benefit people accused or convicted in security cases involving the killing of soldiers or security forces.
Prisons in Lebanon have long faced problems with overcrowding and delays in court proceedings. The prisons directorate reported about 6,268 inmates at the end of March this year, while the National Human Rights Commission estimated that the overcrowding level last year stood at about 300 percent. A large proportion of inmates have not received final verdicts, according to figures from officials and human-rights organizations.
Criminal-law attorney Imad Al-Masri told Arab News the law should relieve the pressure both on prisons and the judiciary, which he said was under intense strain and at risk of corruption. The council’s interpretations would not affect most detainees, but would exclude some forgery-related offenses and certain drug-cultivation offenses, he added.
Detainees with no previous convictions who have spent more than 12 years in custody would qualify, Al-Masri said, because they would not be considered repeat offenders.
The amnesty law excludes a wide range of crimes, including cases referred to the Judicial Council (which handles sensitive crimes that threaten state security, national unity or public safety); intentional and premeditated murder; terrorist attacks against civilians, military personnel or security forces; and military offenses. It also excludes treason, espionage and unauthorized dealings with Israel, except for cases covered by a previous amnesty law.
Other exclusions include repeat drug offenses, and drug crimes committed by military or security personnel. The law also excludes offenses involving public property and funds, as well as money laundering, illicit enrichment, terrorist financing, and banking crimes involving depositors’ money.
The law further excludes cases of rape, incest, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault of children, antiquities crimes, and offenses covered by laws on torture and enforced disappearance.
Lawyer Ashraf Al-Mousawi, who represents detainee Nouh Zaiter, one of the country’s most prominent drug-trafficking suspects, told Arab News his client was not covered by the amnesty.
He said the Constitutional Council had called for further exclusions, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, enforced disappearance and document forgery.
The legislation commutes death sentences to 28 years in prison, and life sentences with hard labor to 17 years. Other sentences are reduced by one-third. The reductions will not apply to cases in which a victim filed a personal claim before March 1, 2026, unless such a claim is withdrawn.
Victims retain the right to seek compensation in criminal, civil or administrative courts. The law also allows claimants to request the imprisonment of a convicted person as a means of enforcing a compensation judgment, in line with legal procedures.
Those who could benefit from reduced sentences, but would still have to serve any remaining time after the reduction, include Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir and Mustafa Al-Hujeiri.
Al-Assir was sentenced to death in connection with the killing of Lebanese soldiers during clashes with his followers in the Abra neighborhood of Sidon in 2013. Under the law, his sentence would be commuted and he could be released by May 2028, at the latest.
Al-Hujeiri is accused of recruiting young people for militant groups, particularly the Nusra Front, transferring money to the group, forging identity documents for suicide bombers, possessing weapons, and armed attacks. He is also accused of involvement in the abduction of soldiers during clashes in the town of the Arsal on Aug. 2, 2014.
Attorney Al-Masri estimated that thousands of prisoners and detainees could be released or benefit from reduced sentences and other provisions under the new legislation. He put the potential number at as many as 4,000.
The amnesty ruling came as the Lebanese Army announced the seizure of about 200 kg of explosives near the Syrian border. The army said a unit found the explosives packed in bags in the Qasr-Hermel area while it was monitoring the border to prevent smuggling and illegal crossings. The material was being smuggled from Syria into Lebanon, the army added, and the smugglers fled back across the border.
A judicial source told Arab News that the type of explosive was C-4 and it had been carried on a donkey through the rugged border area. The army said it had been handed over to the authorities and efforts continued to identify and arrest those involved.
The seizure came less than two days after security forces intercepted a separate shipment of explosives at a checkpoint in Dahr Al-Baidar, which links the Bekaa Valley with Mount Lebanon. That shipment contained 250 kg of C-4 and 250 kg of TNT. Two members of Hezbollah, identified as Haitham Amhaz and Ali Al-Kurdi, were detained. Preliminary investigations indicated they intended to transport the explosives to the southern suburbs of Beirut.
A judicial order authorized their detention, citing Cabinet decisions on efforts to ensure that all weapons in the country are under state control, which deem Hezbollah’s weapons to be illegal.
The government’s commissioner to the military court, Judge Claude Ghanem, instructed security agencies to expand their investigation, identify those involved in smuggling, storing and transporting the explosives, and to establish their intended use. He also asked investigators to identify two Hezbollah officials referred to during the preliminary investigation as “Sajed” and “Dhu Al-Fiqar.”