Algeria Moves to Restore the Death Penalty for Setting Forests Alight
Twelve people died in the north-east. The president wants capital punishment on the statute book for arson by mid-September, in a country that has not executed anyone since 1993. The post Algeria Moves to Restore the Death Penalty for Setting Forests Alight appeared first on The Rio Times .
Algeria is set to reintroduce the death penalty for intentionally setting forest fires. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered the justice minister to amend the penal code by September 15, 2023. The directive comes in response to a series of wildfires in the country's northeast that killed 12 people and injured 54. The president expressed suspicion that some of the fires may have been deliberate, based on videos showing multiple blazes beginning around 1 am.
The amendment would also see capital punishment applied to those convicted of starting forest fires. Currently, arson carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison or life imprisonment. Algeria has not carried out an execution in over three decades, observing a de facto moratorium on the death penalty. The new law would only be enforced after all legal appeals are exhausted.
The government has declared three days of national mourning and ordered immediate compensation for affected families. Authorities are also tasked with restoring electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications, as well as repairing damaged homes within specific deadlines.
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