Lebanon’s joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday approved a revised draft general amnesty law after weeks of contentious political negotiations and disputes over its scope, amid mounting pressure over prison overcrowding, delayed trials and the fate of detainees held for years without final verdicts.

The proposed law, which still requires approval by parliament in a general session, introduces major sentence reductions while excluding some of the most serious crimes from full amnesty provisions. This comes amid growing controversy over the fate of thousands of detainees held for years without final verdicts, as well as concerns over whether serious crimes and terrorism-related offenses could ultimately benefit from reduced sentences.

Under the revised formula, death sentences would be commuted to prison terms of 28 years, while life sentences would be reduced to 18 years. Detainees who have not yet been tried would face a maximum prison term of 14 years, and other penalties would be reduced by one-third.

The law also grants amnesty for drug use and unorganized drug distribution, while excluding organized trafficking networks and large-scale drug trade offenses.

Lawmakers further agreed that no convicted individual would benefit from the amnesty unless the injured party drops their personal legal complaint. 

The committees also approved a mechanism for consolidating sentences based on the harshest ruling, while giving judges authority to combine penalties up to one-quarter of the most severe sentence.

The amnesty debate has become recently one of the country’s most sensitive political files, particularly because it touches on Islamist detainees, terrorism-related cases, collaborators who fled to Israel after the collapse of the South Lebanon Army in 2000, and crimes involving attacks against Lebanese military personnel. 

Supporters of the law argue that Lebanon’s prison system and judiciary have reached a breaking point after years of institutional collapse, economic crisis and severe delays in judicial proceedings.

Human rights groups and several lawmakers say thousands of detainees remain imprisoned without final trials, with overcrowded prisons and prolonged pretrial detention becoming a growing humanitarian issue.

According to Lebanese and international reports, Lebanon’s prisons have long suffered from overcrowding and deteriorating conditions, problems exacerbated by the country’s financial collapse and weakening state institutions. 

At the same time, critics of a broad amnesty have warned against including individuals convicted of terrorism or attacks against the Lebanese Army, arguing that such measures could undermine justice and national security.

Following Tuesday’s session, MP Michel Mouawad said previous meetings had witnessed tensions between lawmakers and representatives of the Defense Ministry and the Lebanese Army, warning that disagreements over the issue could have escalated into confrontation between the army and segments of the public.

He said this prompted him to insist that the law be passed through political consensus.

Mouawad added that he and a group of lawmakers sought a meeting with President Joseph Aoun in an effort to calm tensions and encourage dialogue between opposition blocs and Defense Minister Michel Menassa over the issue.

For his part, Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said lawmakers had taken into account the concerns raised by the Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry and Lebanese Army.

Bou Saab said there was growing demand for the government and the justice minister to find a comprehensive solution to prolonged trials and the detention of individuals without sufficient legal grounds.

He stressed that the revised law preserves the rights of families of fallen Lebanese soldiers by ensuring that their personal legal claims are not automatically dropped, noting that the army itself “was not a party to the conflicts.”

“What we reached was based on logic and justice, not on tailoring solutions for specific groups,” Bou Saab said, adding that lawmakers sought to balance humanitarian concerns with the army’s demands without fully adopting or entirely dismissing either side’s position.

The parliament bureau is expected to convene later Tuesday ahead of a general parliamentary session called by Speaker Nabih Berri for Thursday, May 21, to discuss draft laws and legislative proposals on the agenda.