Lebanon declares general amnesty

Lebanon's parliament approved a bill on general amnesty and the reduction of prison terms, the largest in the country since the end of the civil war in 1990.

This was reported by the Arab News agency.

Currently, about 8,000 convicts and pretrial detainees accused of a wide variety of crimes are being held in Lebanese prisons.

The bill was approved by a roll-call vote after fierce political disputes that lasted from Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning. The vote took place on the second of two days of the parliamentary session.

Under the law, judges must release from custody individuals who have spent more than 14 years in detention without a verdict, although proceedings against them will continue. The law also applies to prisoners who have served their terms but remained behind bars because they were unable to pay fines.

The amnesty covers persons convicted of drug use and certain drug-related crimes, as well as thefts, if their cases do not fall under certain exceptions or legal norms governing the liability of repeat offenders. The document also allows certain categories of Lebanese who are abroad to return to their homeland.

At the same time, the amnesty does not extend to a wide range of serious crimes, including terrorism, war crimes, treason, espionage and others.