On January 9, 2025, Lebanon’s parliament elected military commander Joseph Aoun as president, ending a two-year political deadlock in the country that resulted in a leadership and governance vacuum.
In his first remarks to parliament, President Aoun said that “a new phase of Lebanon’s history has begun” and vowed to “protect the sanctity of individual and collective freedoms.” He pledged to work with the new government to adopt a new law on judicial independence, to develop the work of Lebanon’s Public Prosecution Offices, and implement judicial restructuring procedures based on standards of integrity and merit.
Aoun said there would be no interference with the work of the judiciary under his term, “no immunities given to criminals or corrupt individuals,” and promised to reform Lebanon’s prison system. He also vowed to strengthen Lebanon’s social security program, health infrastructure, and public education, and to respect media freedom and the right to freedom of expression “within [Lebanon’s] constitutional and legal frameworks.”
While the new president presents Lebanon with an opportunity to break from decades of impunity that have entrenched severe violations of people’s rights, Aoun’s election is not without controversy as it is at odds with Lebanon’s constitutional prohibition on electing top-level sitting public servants, including military commanders, to the presidency.
Human Rights Watch has long called for accountability in Lebanon, most notably for the August 2020 Beirut port explosion and violations of the laws of war, including war crimes, during the 2024 hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. We have also highlighted the urgent need to adopt a law on the independence of the judiciary that meets international standards, greater government transparency, and an end to corrupt practices that have hallowed out the country’s public institutions and degraded public services like electricity and education.
Aoun and Lebanon’s new government will be judged by their actions. A new phase in Lebanon’s history will only begin once it implements a new agenda that prioritizes rights over patronage and cronyism.
