Algeria's lower house clears a bill making forest arson punishable by death
1 October 2026
Algeria's National People's Assembly, the lower house of parliament, voted on 1 October 2026 to amend the penal code so that the death penalty can be imposed for deliberately setting fire to forests, woods or fields.
The same amendment extends capital punishment to child abduction committed with aggravating circumstances.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune proposed the change in September 2026 after wildfires in the north-east of the country with an official toll of 12 dead.
Algeria has maintained a moratorium on executions since 1993, although death sentences have continued to be handed down.
Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa said the death penalty was the appropriate legal response to curb these crimes.
The bill must now be reviewed by the Council of the Nation, the upper house, before the president can ratify it. Amnesty International opposed the measure.
In plain words
Council of the Nation Majlis al-Umma — The upper house of Algeria's bicameral parliament, which must review bills passed by the lower house.
moratorium temporary suspension — Here, a standing practice of not carrying out death sentences even though courts may pass them.