Algerian lower house backs death penalty for wildfire arsonists
The amendment must still pass Algeria’s Senate and receive presidential approval before it is final.
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Algeria’s lower house voted on Thursday to approve an amendment to the criminal code that would allow the death penalty for people who deliberately set fire to forests or agricultural land. The measure is not yet final: according to public reports, the text must first pass the Council of the Nation and then receive formal approval.
The Assemblée Populaire Nationale, Algeria’s lower house, approved an amendment to the criminal code. The text provides for the death penalty for deliberately setting fire to forests and agricultural land. It also extends the harshest punishment to certain forms of child abduction and several other offences that, under the law, undermine national security, public order or economic and ecological stability.
The vote follows severe wildfires in north-eastern Algeria. According to official figures cited by international media, twelve people died. At the end of August, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the criminal code to be amended and said that deliberate arsonists should be prosecuted harshly.
The Algerian government presents the amendment as a response to serious crime and as a means of protecting citizens, property and natural resources. Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa defended the proposal during parliamentary proceedings. The government distinguishes between fires caused deliberately and wildfires whose cause has not been established.
The lower house vote does not mean that the death penalty can already be carried out under these new provisions. The text must still be considered by the Council of the Nation, the upper house of parliament. It must then receive formal approval before the provisions can enter into force. Public sources currently give no date for these next steps.
Algeria has formally retained the death penalty for many years, but has carried out no executions since 1993. The new text could therefore not only change the sentence available, but also put the existing moratorium on executions under pressure. Whether that happens in practice will depend on the further proceedings and decisions by the Algerian authorities.
Amnesty International has called on the Council of the Nation to reject the extension. The organisation calls the amendment a step backwards and says there is no convincing evidence that the death penalty deters arson. Amnesty also warns about broad wording that, in its view, could leave room for application in cases that are not clearly defined.
The upcoming consideration by the upper house is therefore decisive for the measure’s legal status. Until then, it is established that the lower house has adopted the amendment, but not that the new punishment is already part of the final and enforceable criminal law. Nor is it publicly known which specific cases would fall under the new provisions.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Algeria’s lower house has adopted an amendment that would allow the death penalty for, among other things, deliberately setting fire to forests and agricultural land.
- According to public reports, the text has not yet received final approval and must still pass the upper house.
- Algeria has carried out no executions since 1993, although the death penalty formally remains part of the criminal law.
- Amnesty International opposes the extension and has called on the upper house to reject the text.
Left
Arguments The state should investigate wildfires rigorously and prosecute those responsible, but the death penalty is irreversible and can also be applied in a system where mistakes or political influence are possible. Effective fire prevention, better civil protection and an independent judiciary are more important under this approach than harsher sentences.
Values Human rights, proportionality, legal safeguards and restraint in the use of state power.
Consequences An extension could break the moratorium on executions, prompt international criticism and divert attention from prevention and the authorities’ responsibility for tackling wildfires.
Centre
Arguments Deliberate arson that puts people and nature at risk may be punished severely, but a new death penalty must be strictly limited, with clear legal definitions, a fair trial and oversight by several state institutions. It must first become clear whether the text is enforceable and compatible with existing obligations.
Values Security, the rule of law, proportionality and institutional oversight.
Consequences The measure can be assessed responsibly only after consideration by the upper house and clarity about its precise scope. For some, life imprisonment could be an alternative that provides protection without irreversible executions.
Right
Arguments Anyone who deliberately sets fire to forests and agricultural land puts lives, property and national resources at risk. Under this approach, the most serious crimes call for the harshest punishment, because the state must act visibly and deter potential offenders.
Values Public order, responsibility, protection of property and national security.
Consequences A severe punishment could strengthen citizens’ confidence in the government and signal that arson is not an ordinary property offence. Execution should nevertheless take place only after a final conviction and completion of the full appeals process.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The article’s core has been confirmed by the Algerian news organisation APS and an independent international source. The text explicitly distinguishes between approval by the lower house and final entry into force.
- confirmed Algeria’s lower house adopted an amendment to the criminal code on 1 October 2026. — Reported by the Algerian state news agency APS. source
- confirmed The amendment provides for the death penalty for deliberately setting fire to forests and agricultural land. — APS explicitly describes this category in the adopted text. source
- confirmed The text also concerns certain forms of child abduction and other serious, specifically defined offences. — APS mentions child abduction and additional categories in the amendment. source
- confirmed According to official figures, twelve people died in the recent wildfires in Algeria. — AFP refers to the official death toll of twelve. source
- confirmed The measure must still be considered by the Council of the Nation and then formally approved. — Al Jazeera describes the further parliamentary and formal steps. source
- confirmed Algeria has carried out no executions since 1993, despite the formal existence of the death penalty. — The background is described by Amnesty International and AFP. source
- confirmed Amnesty International has called for the extension of the death penalty to be rejected. — This appears in Amnesty’s statement on the vote. source
Editor's note
It is certain that Algeria’s lower house adopted the amendment on 1 October and that the text concerns, among other things, deliberate forest and agricultural fires. It is uncertain when and in what final form the Council of the Nation and the president will consider the measure; there is also no confirmation that the new provisions are already in force.Sources
- Lower House passes law amending Penal Code — Algérie Presse Service
- Algeria adopts law imposing death penalty on forest arsonists — AFP
- Death penalty bill for forest arsonists clears Algeria lower house — Al Jazeera
- Algeria: Upper house of parliament must reject legislation expanding death penalty — Amnesty International
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „algerije doodstraf”
- De Telegraaf — „algerije doodstraf”
- AD — „algerije doodstraf”