In brief
In a sweeping move to curb destructive wildfires, Algeria has introduced the death penalty for anyone convicted of deliberately setting forest, woodland or field fires. The new law, also extending capital punishment to certain child abduction cases, was passed by the national assembly after President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered changes to the penal code amid a devastating heatwave. While the official death toll from the blazes stands at 12, independent investigations estimate as many as 200 victims. The legislation marks a stark retrenchment in a country that has not executed anyone since 1993, raising concerns among human rights observers. The upper house will now review the law before it is formally ratified.
Algeria has adopted a law imposing the death penalty on people convicted of arson of forests or fields after a series of deadly wildfires swept parts of the country.
Members of the national assembly voted through the bill, which also made child abduction a capital offence, on Thursday. Capital punishment has been in the country's penal code for some offences, but no execution has been carried out since 1993.
The official death toll from the blazes stands at 12, though independent news outlets believe the figure is much higher, with some estimates reaching 200 victims.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the justice ministry to introduce the changes to the criminal law after more than 100 fires erupted in the north‑east of the country during an intense heatwave in northern Africa.
Under the new law, anyone convicted of deliberately setting fire to forests, woods or fields could face execution. The death penalty has also been extended to child kidnappings that involve torture, sexual assault or mutilation.
Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa told parliament that the adoption of the death penalty for these acts is the appropriate legal response to curb these crimes, arguing that arson had reached "the level of organised crime" with investigations suggesting links to "foreign parties".
The upper house, Council of the Nation, will review the law before it is officially ratified by the president.
Investigative journalist Nozha Khelalef has been gathering the names of those believed to have died in the fires from death notices posted by families and information shared by some local authorities. Her tally, listed on the independent news website Twala, puts the death toll at 200.
While Algeria regularly experiences forest fires in the summer, climate change has exacerbated the intensity and severity of recent wildfires in the country.
