Algeria’s lower house of parliament has approved legislation extending the death penalty to people convicted of deliberately setting fire to forests and farmland following a series of deadly wildfires across the country.
Lawmakers in the People’s National Assembly approved amendments to the penal code on Thursday, October 1, also expanding capital punishment to serious cases involving the abduction of children.
Under the legislation, people convicted of intentionally setting fire to forests, woodland or planted and unplanted fields could face the death penalty.
Capital punishment would also apply in certain child abduction cases, including those involving torture, sexual assault or mutilation.
The changes were introduced after deadly wildfires swept northeastern Algeria during the summer. Authorities have reported at least 12 deaths, although witnesses and independent media have suggested the toll could be considerably higher.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered amendments to the penal code after the fires, arguing there was evidence that some of the blazes may have been deliberately started.
Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa told parliament that tougher punishment was needed because deliberate arson had reached what he described as the level of organised crime. He said investigations had also identified alleged links between some cases and foreign parties, without publicly detailing the evidence.
Algeria retains the death penalty in law for several crimes but has not carried out an execution since 1993.
Rights groups have opposed moves to revive its use. Amnesty International urged Algerian authorities not to expand capital punishment, arguing that the government should instead strengthen wildfire prevention and emergency-response measures.
The legislation must still be reviewed by Algeria’s upper house, the Council of the Nation, before it can be formally ratified by Tebboune.
Forest fires are a recurring threat across northern Algeria during the summer, with prolonged drought and increasingly intense heat contributing to worsening fire conditions in recent years.
