Rights Group Urges Algeria to Drop Death Penalty Expansion After Wildfires
Algeria is considering wider use of the death penalty following devastating wildfires in the country, prompting Amnesty International to call for the plans to be abandoned.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune directed the Justice Ministry to amend the law to allow the death penalty for people who deliberately start or encourage wildfires. The proposed changes are also expected to cover some child abduction and abuse offences.
The move follows wildfires that swept through parts of northern Algeria last month, killing at least 12 people and injuring 54 others. Several villages were affected in the Kabylie region and other parts of northeastern Algeria.
The proposed changes would represent a major shift in Algeria, which has not carried out an execution for more than three decades, although courts continue to issue death sentences.
Amnesty International has also raised concerns over the arrest of people in connection with investigations into the fires. The organisation said 20 people were detained between July 26 and September 10 over alleged arson and subversion, including cases linked by Algerian authorities to the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie.
The rights group has urged Algeria to focus on investigating the causes of the fires and strengthening measures to prevent future disasters rather than expanding capital punishment.
The controversy has therefore widened from the response to the wildfires to a broader debate over Algeria’s use of the death penalty, the treatment of political opposition and how authorities respond to environmental disasters.
