Algeria president seeks death penalty for arsonists after deadly forest fires
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said he wants to reinstate the death penalty for arsonists, following a wave of forest fires that have killed at least 12 people. The president ordered the justice ministry to introduce changes to the criminal law introducing capital punishment for arsonists. Capital punishment remains in the country’s penal code for […] The post Algeria president seeks…
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is seeking the reinstatement of the death penalty for arsonists in response to a series of deadly forest fires. The fires, which have claimed at least 12 lives, have scorched large areas of northern Algeria and have been exacerbated by an intense heatwave. Capital punishment is still allowed under Algeria's penal code, but no executions have been carried out since 1993.
Tebboune has given a deadline of September 15 for amendments to the criminal law that would introduce the death penalty for anyone convicted of intentionally starting a fire in forested areas. Under current law, deliberately starting forest fires can result in up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in certain cases. The Algerian government is working to extinguish the fires and is offering compensation to affected families and repairs for damaged properties.
While Algeria experiences forest fires during the summer months, climate change has made recent blazes more intense and severe.
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