Algeria approves death penalty for forest arson and child abduction

Legislative approval in the lower house

Algeria's National People's Assembly approved amendments to the national penal code on 1 October 2026, reintroducing the death penalty for forest arson and child kidnapping. The presidential majority passed the bill through the 407-seat lower house with 221 votes in favour, while left-wing and secular opposition parties voted against the measure. The legislation covers intentional destruction of public and private property, particularly acts tied to foreign collusion, treason, organized crime, or attempts against national unity and environmental stability. Following the lower chamber's approval, the bill moves to the upper house, the Council of the Nation, for review prior to ratification by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Fatma Zahra Bensafi, a lawmaker representing the pro-government National Democratic Rally (RND), explained her party's support during parliamentary discussions.

We have voted in favour of this bill given its importance on legal, but also political and social levels for Algerian society.

Scope of penal code amendments

The revised code establishes capital punishment for individuals convicted of deliberately setting fire to forests, woods, or planted and unplanted fields. Under the previous framework established in the 1966 penal code, the death penalty applied solely to arson that caused loss of life, while non-fatal forest arson carried a prison term of up to 20 years. The legal reform also modifies Article 291 to impose capital punishment for child abductions that involve torture, sexual violence, or mutilation, replacing the earlier penalty of life imprisonment. Furthermore, the amended statute explicitly prohibits judges from granting mitigating circumstances, preventing the reduction or substitution of sentences for individuals convicted under these provisions.

Government rationale and opposition

Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa presented the amendments to deputies, arguing that severe penalties provide the legal mechanism needed to suppress these offenses. Boudjemaa stated that wildfire arson had reached the scale of organized crime, citing investigations that indicated coordination with foreign parties to harm national stability. President Tebboune initially ordered the justice ministry to prepare the penal reforms in late August following destructive summer blazes across the north-east. The four lawmakers of the secular opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) opposed the legislation, while human rights organisation Amnesty International urged authorities to halt any expansion of capital punishment.

Lotfi Boudjemaa addressed the lower house regarding the legal basis for the penalty.

The adoption of the death penalty for these acts constitutes the appropriate legal response to curb these crimes.

Rachid Hassani, a deputy for the RCD, outlined his party's principled objection to the measure.

Because we consider that the state does not take revenge and does not kill.

Execution moratorium and wildfire losses

Algerian courts regularly issue death sentences for serious offenses including premeditated murder and terrorism, but the state has maintained an execution moratorium since 1993. The parliamentary vote follows more than 100 wildfires that broke out across north-eastern provinces during an intense regional heatwave. Official government reports place the fatal casualty toll from the fires at 12 people. An independent verification effort by investigative journalist Nozha Khelalef for the news website Twala documented 200 deaths through death notices from families and notices from local administrative bodies.