Lebanon becomes first Middle Eastern country to abolish death penaltyLebanon becomes first Middle Eastern country to abolish death penalty+ ↺ − 16 pxLebanon’s parliament on Tuesday abolished the death penalty, making the country the first in the Middle East to formally end the practice, France 24 reported. “The draft law aimed at abolishing the death penalty in Lebanon was approved after amendments were made to it,” the speaker of parliament’s office announced.