Algeria moves to impose death penalty for setting forest fires after 12 killed

Algeria’s president on Sunday ordered the introduction of the death penalty for deliberately setting forest fires after recent blazes across the country killed 12 people.

Abdelmadjid Tebboune issued the directive during a high-level meeting on measures to deal with the aftermath of the fires, attended by senior civilian and military officials, state TV reported.

He instructed the justice minister to submit an amendment to the penal code by Sept. 15 providing for capital punishment for anyone convicted of intentionally setting fire to forested areas.

State television said the sentence would be carried out only after all legal avenues of appeal had been exhausted.

The death penalty remains in Algeria’s criminal code for several offenses, but the country has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1993.

Under current law, deliberately setting forest fires is punishable by up to 30 years in prison or life in prison in certain cases.