Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday approved a general amnesty law, potentially benefiting thousands of prisoners and wanted people, in the first legislation of its kind since 1991, as lawmakers also advanced reforms to the country's banking sector.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri later adjourned the plenary session until 6 p.m. after lawmakers spent a second consecutive day debating the legislation amid political divisions over the role of the defense minister and the military institution.

The amnesty law, which has been demanded by several political factions and debated for years, is intended in part to ease severe prison overcrowding and address the cases of inmates who have spent years in detention awaiting trial.

The parliament speaker's office said the assembly had approved a draft law granting a general amnesty and exceptionally reducing certain prison sentences. Authorities did not immediately give a total figure for the number of people who would benefit.

The law, as approved by the Joint Parliamentary Committees, was amended to address civil claims, release from detention and the possibility of defendants being tried outside prison. Lawmakers reduced the threshold for release from 14 to 12 years of imprisonment and removed the word "final" from the relevant provision, meaning the measure would apply to people who have no judgment issued against them rather than only to those without a final judgment. The amendments were approved by a show of hands.

MP Imad al-Hout said 79 of 146 Islamist detainees would be released under the law, adding that lawmakers would no longer accept people being held beyond the legally permitted period of pretrial detention.

According to al-Hout, the law also reduces the sentences of people facing death or life imprisonment to 17 prison years. Because a prison year in Lebanon is calculated as nine months, that amounts to 12 years and nine months of actual imprisonment.

The legislation also provides for the release of inmates who have spent more than 12 prison years in detention without charges while their trials remain pending.

Lebanon's prison system has been severely overcrowded. The National Human Rights Commission said in its 2025 report that overcrowding had reached 300%, with prison authorities reporting at least 6,268 inmates at the end of March.

Political divisions

The amnesty debate has been particularly sensitive because many Islamist and extremist prisoners were jailed over events connected to the Syrian civil war, including allegations of attacks on the Lebanese army, participation in armed clashes and planning bombings.

The issue returned to the political forefront after the fall of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

Other political forces, including Iran-backed Hezbollah, have also pressed for amnesty for members of their communities.

Thousands of families in the eastern Baalbek and Hermel regions, strongholds of Hezbollah and its ally Amal where illicit cannabis cultivation is widespread, have for years demanded amnesty for people convicted or wanted in drug-related cases and car theft.

Christian political parties, meanwhile, have sought the inclusion of families of people who joined an Israeli-backed militia and fled to Israel following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, fearing reprisals, particularly from Hezbollah and its supporters.

MP Bilal Abdullah said Wednesday's vote closed a political chapter in which, he argued, one Lebanese community had been targeted by the state, security agencies and the Military Court.

"With the approval of the general amnesty today, we are closing a political chapter in which one Lebanese community was targeted by a regime, security agencies, and the Military Court," Abdullah said.

MP Adnan Traboulsi thanked Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for what he described as persistent efforts.

"We stand for justice and for ending injustice, and today what we had been striving for has finally been achieved," Traboulsi said.

MP Faysal Karami also welcomed the legislation, congratulating families who had waited years for its passage. He said some detainees and defendants would be allowed to remain outside prison while their trials continued.

Karami stressed that the constitution was clear on the division of responsibilities, saying the prime minister speaks on behalf of the government while each minister speaks on matters falling within his or her ministry. He argued that a general amnesty was a matter for the Justice Ministry rather than the Defence Ministry.

"Our fundamental battle is to establish a fair and impartial judiciary, so that we do not have to return to Parliament every time circumstances arise to pass an amnesty law for detainees who have been unjustly held without being brought to trial," he said.

Defense minister dispute

The vote was preceded by a dispute over whether Defence Minister Michel Menassa would be allowed to address parliament and read out a statement from the army.

At the beginning of the session, Berri said lawmakers had been in contact with the army commander and that the atmosphere was positive.

"We have been in contact with the Army Commander, and the atmosphere is good. We agreed that we would implement what we agreed upon yesterday," Berri said.

He indicated there was no need for the defence minister to make a statement, prompting Menassa to leave the parliament complex at Nejmeh Square.

Amid the political tensions, lawmakers from the Free Patriotic Movement walked out of the session because Defense Menassa had not been allowed to address parliament and read the army's statement. Hezbollah lawmakers subsequently left the chamber for the same reason.

MP Ibrahim Kanaan told Al Jadeed television: "I withdrew from the session because it is unprecedented for a minister—particularly the Defense Minister—to be prevented from speaking."

MP Simon Abi Ramia also withdrew, saying: "We oppose turning a general amnesty into an alternative to justice."

It was also reported that Berri brought Menassa and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam together shortly before the parliamentary session.

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab rejected suggestions that the dispute was an attempt to set one minister against a particular sect, stressing the importance of respecting the position and decisions of the military institution.

Bou Saab said the general amnesty had been politically agreed upon that day in order to close the issue. He added that the government was responsible for addressing injustice and could order retrials and correct cases of discrimination.

He singled out MPs who had worked on the amnesty law for thanks, saying they had faced accusations of disloyalty as a result of their efforts.

Banking reform

Before the adjournment, parliament's General Assembly also approved a draft law submitted under Decree No. 6503 to amend provisions of Law No. 36 dated 41/8/3530 concerning the reform and reorganisation of Lebanon's banking sector.

The bill was approved in the form adopted by the Finance and Budget Committee, incorporating some of the amendments proposed by the finance minister.