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Algeria Introduces Death Penalty for Arsonists After Wildfires
Confirmed
In Short: Algeria has adopted a law imposing the death penalty on those convicted of forest arson following deadly summer wildfires.
Algeria has adopted a law imposing the death penalty on individuals convicted of forest arson after a series of deadly wildfires swept through the country's northeast during the summer.
The official death toll from the fires stands at 12, but independent news outlets and witnesses report a much higher number, with some estimating over 200 deaths.
Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa told parliament that the adoption of the death penalty for these acts is the appropriate legal response to curb such crimes.
Amnesty International urged Algeria not to adopt the law, describing the move as 'a deeply retrograde response.' The rights group suggested focusing on protecting lives, strengthening prevention, and improving emergency response instead.
Despite a moratorium on executions since 1993, some death sentences have been handed out, particularly in terror-related cases, though no executions have taken place.
The new law also extends the death penalty to child kidnappers who commit torture, sexual assault, or mutilation.
Investigative journalist Nozha Khelalef has compiled a list of those believed to have died in the fires, putting the death toll at 200 based on death notices and information shared by local authorities.
Climate change has exacerbated the intensity and severity of recent wildfires in Algeria, making the country more vulnerable to such disasters.
The justice minister assured that the Algerian judicial system still provides safeguards for those facing the death penalty, including avenues for appeal or seeking a presidential pardon.
Tebboune stated that those sentenced to death would be executed once their appeals were exhausted.
What this adds
The new law reflects a shift in policy that could have significant implications for human rights and legal practices in Algeria.
What's confirmed
- “The adoption of the death penalty for these acts is the appropriate legal response to curb these crimes,” Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa told parliament after the vote.
What's still developing
- Algeria had upheld a moratorium on the death penalty since 1993, but in August, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the justice minister to amend the penal code to broaden the list of crimes for which capital punishment is allowed.
- The same penalty could apply to anyone who “kidnaps a child by any means, tortures them, sexually assaults them and/or mutilates them”.
- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the justice ministry to introduce the changes to the criminal law after more than 100 fires in the north-east of the country during an intense heatwave in northern Africa.
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- Her tally, listed on the independent news website Twala, external, puts the death toll at 200.