The same people who celebrated abolishing the death penalty rejoiced when Al – Assad was sentenced to death

Lebanon’s abolition of the death penalty was celebrated as a victory for the right to life — the belief that no one should have the power to take it, regardless of the crime.

Then came Bashar al-Assad’s death sentence, and that principle collided with memory, anger, and the scale of his crimes against Syrians and Lebanese: killing, torture, detention, displacement, chemical weapons, and years of repression.

For many, execution may feel like justice. But perhaps a harsher punishment would be to keep him alive, imprisoned and accountable, forced to witness the collapse of the system he ruled through violence.

Death ends the criminal’s life. Living with punishment can sometimes be the harder form of justice.