France, Aug. 11 -- The majority of Lebanon's 128-member parliament voted in favour of ending the death penalty, with the exception of the parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar called the abolition "historic", adding that the spectre of capital punishment had previously prevented Beirut from obtaining the extradition of suspects from countries where it has been outlawed.

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at the NGO Human Rights Watch, told French news agency AFP the move was "a monumental step for human rights in the country, representing a clear break from a cruel and arbitrary sentence that should never be imposed".

"Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality and is plagued with arbitrariness, preju...