Algeria: Upper House of Parliament Must Reject Regressive Legislation Expanding the Death Penalty After 30 Years Without Executions

What the report says

Amnesty International said Algeria’s lower house of parliament has approved legal amendments that would expand the use of the death penalty, prompting a call for the country’s upper house to block the measure. The statement, published through AllAfrica, says the vote came after more than 30 years without executions in Algeria and was taken in a rush, without meaningful consultation with rights groups or lawyers.

According to the article, the proposed changes would broaden capital punishment to cover broadly defined conduct linked to arson, including incitement or facilitation through social media, as well as offences involving the abduction, torture and sexual assault of children. Amnesty’s regional official Diana Eltahawy argued the move conflicts with Algeria’s human rights commitments and warned that authorities should not use the recent deadly wildfires in north-eastern Algeria as a basis for expanding executions.

The report says President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instructed the justice minister after the August fires to restore the death penalty for arson, and the justice minister later indicated it could be applied. Algeria has not carried out an execution since 1993, although courts still issue death sentences. The article also notes that Algeria broadened capital punishment for some drug-related crimes in 2025.

The development matters because it signals a possible policy shift toward resuming executions in a country that has long observed a de facto moratorium, raising concerns about due process, human rights standards and the future of abolition efforts.