Shafaq News- Beirut

Lebanon's parliament approved the General Amnesty Law on Wednesday that could reduce sentences for thousands of prisoners and lead to the release of many, in the country's broadest such measure since the end of its 1975–1990 civil war, according to the parliamentary session's proceedings.

The law is intended primarily to ease severe overcrowding in Lebanon's prisons, which hold roughly 8,600 inmates, and to address prolonged pretrial detention. Lebanese media estimated the measure could affect around 3,000 detainees, including people held for years without a final verdict.

The amnesty applies to certain offenses committed before March 1 and covers drug-related cases, misdemeanors, felonies, and detainees held on Islamist militancy charges. It excludes a set of serious crimes, including premeditated murder, rape, human trafficking, corruption, and the financing of terrorism, and it ties eligibility in killing cases to the consent of victims' families.

The vote took place during a session marked by the walkout of two major blocs. The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), one of the two largest Christian parties in parliament, led by Jibran Basil, and Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, led by Mohamad Raad, withdrew over a dispute concerning Defense Minister Michel Menassa, according to Lebanese media.

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The dispute concerned whether Menassa could present the army's position on the legislation. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had objected during Tuesday's proceedings, maintaining that the prime minister speaks for the government under Article 64 of the constitution. Salam later denied barring Menassa from the chamber, saying he had told the minister that the government's stance would be delivered by the prime minister when the bill was debated.

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab rejected framing the disagreement in sectarian terms, describing the amnesty as a political agreement meant to turn the page and calling for remaining injustices to be corrected through retrials.

The amnesty is among the most sensitive files in Lebanese politics because of disagreement over who should benefit. Families of Islamist detainees, some accused of attacking the Lebanese army in clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, have protested for years demanding their release. Families of soldiers killed in those attacks have protested against the law, arguing that perpetrators would receive reduced terms.

The measure was part of a two-day legislative agenda. On Tuesday, parliament abolished the death penalty, making Lebanon the first Middle Eastern country to do so, and adopted a new media law.

Lebanon last enacted a broad amnesty in 1991, following the civil war, which allowed many wartime offenses to go unpunished and enabled former militia leaders to enter political life. It would be the country's eighth amnesty since independence.