Algeria to Reinstate Death Penalty for Arsonists Following Deadly Wildfires
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune orders law changes introducing capital punishment for intentional forest fires after blazes kill at least 12 people.
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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the justice ministry to introduce the death penalty for arsonists after more than 100 wildfires killed at least 12 people and caused widespread destruction.
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Why It Matters
Algeria regularly experiences forest fires during summer months, but climate change has worsened their intensity.
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 some offences, but no execution has been carried out since 1993.
More than 100 wildfires have been recorded in recent days in the north-east of the country, most of which have been extinguished.
On Saturday, Tebboune said he did not rule out foul play.
The Algerian president said necessary investigations would be carried out especially in view of the intensity of the fires.
On Sunday, he gave a 15 September deadline for amendments to provide for the death sentence for anyone convicted of intentionally starting a fire in forested areas.
Under the current law, deliberately starting forest fires is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in certain cases.
Deadly blazes swept through large swathes of northern Algeria last week, causing widespread destruction, injuring dozens and displacing thousands of people.
The fires erupted amid an intense heatwave in northern Africa, with Algeria and Tunisia particularly affected.
Algerian civil authorities were on Sunday afternoon still battling to battle some of the fires, with the Algerian Press Service noting that 18 out 19 fires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours had been extinguished
The Algerian president ordered that compensation be paid to the families who have been affected, as well as repairs to damaged homes and essential services.
He said there would be investigations into the extent of the damage and losses caused by the fires.
While Algeria regularly experiences forest fires around the summer months, climate change has exacerbated the intensity and severity of recent wildfires in the country.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Amendments providing for the death sentence for arsonists will be introduced.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Will the parliament approve the death penalty amendments?
- Were the fires definitively determined to be arson?
