Algeria introduces death penalty for arsonists after deadly wildfires

What the report says

Algeria has moved to impose the death penalty on people convicted of deliberately setting fires in forests, woods or fields, following a series of deadly wildfires in the country’s north-east. BBC Africa reported that lawmakers in the national assembly approved the bill on Thursday, and that it also expands capital punishment to certain child abduction cases involving torture, sexual assault or mutilation.

The change comes after President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instructed the justice ministry to amend criminal law following more than 100 fires during an intense heatwave in northern Africa. The government says the tougher approach is meant to deter what Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa described in parliament, according to AFP, as serious crimes that have reached the level of organised crime. He also said investigators had found possible links to “foreign parties,” though no further details were given in the article.

Capital punishment is already listed in Algeria’s penal code for some offences, but BBC Africa noted that no execution has been carried out since 1993. The upper house still needs to review the bill before presidential ratification. The report said the official death toll from the wildfires is 12, while independent estimates cited in the article put the figure much higher, with one tally reaching about 200.