Full Breakdown
Algeria Moves to Expand Death Penalty Amid Wildfire Tragedy, Amnesty Calls for Moratorium
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Presidential Directive to Amend the Penal Code
On 30 August, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instructed Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa to amend the Penal Code by 15 September so that “intentionally starting or instigating fires” would become a capital offence. The president also indicated that the draft could later add the death penalty for “child abductors and abusers.” He stated that anyone sentenced to death would be executed after exhausting the right of appeal.
Context: Wildfires, Prior Repression, and Death-Penalty History
In late August, wildfires swept the Kabylie region and other parts of northeastern Algeria, destroying villages and causing numerous casualties. Algeria has not carried out an execution since 1993, but courts continue to impose death sentences, most often for murder. In July 2025, the death penalty was broadened to include several drug-related offences. The government has linked wildfires to “criminal elements” and used the incidents to target political opposition, notably the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), which Algeria classifies as a terrorist organisation.
Data and Statistics
- Official figures recorded on 26 August list 12 deaths and 54 hospitalisations.
- Credible sources have reported over 70 deaths in a single municipality affected by the same fires.
- Between July 26 and September 10, authorities announced the detention of 20 people pending investigations for arson and “subversion,” a terrorism-related charge that carries a mandatory death penalty.
- In November 2022, a mass trial sentenced 56 defendants to death; the Supreme Court ordered a retrial that began on 1 March 2026.
Government Position
The Justice Ministry has been tasked with drafting the amendment, and the executive indicated that the revised code could be finalized before the 15 September deadline.
Amnesty International’s Opposition
Amnesty International issued an urgent appeal, urging Algerian authorities to immediately abandon any expansion of the death penalty and to impose an official moratorium as a first step toward abolition. The organization called for a human-rights-centred response to the wildfires, emphasizing independent investigations and accountability that do not rely on capital punishment. Amnesty warned that the proposed changes risk reviving politically motivated prosecutions and contravene Algeria’s international obligations, including its support for UN General Assembly resolutions calling for a moratorium on executions.
Conflicting Reports and Gaps
- Fatality figures: The government’s count of 12 deaths contrasts with independent reports of more than 70 deaths in one municipality.
- Complete casualty data: Algerian authorities have not released comprehensive numbers for injuries or missing persons, leaving the full human impact of the fires unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The devastation and loss of life caused by these fires is a profound tragedy and should spur the Algerian authorities into taking immediate steps focusing both on prevention and accountability. But walking back from over 30 years without executions is a deeply retrograde response that runs counter to respect for the right to life,” — Nadege Lahmar, Algeria Researcher
Upcoming Legislative Deadline
The amended Penal Code is slated for completion by 15 September. If enacted, the new provisions would make arson—and potentially child-abduction offences—punishable by death, marking the first expansion of capital punishment in Algeria in over three decades. Amnesty International and other human-rights groups have warned that the deadline approaches without a clear governmental response to their calls for a moratorium.