Algeria approves death penalty for arson and kidnapping

The Algerian Parliament has approved a draft law that punishes those who commit arson intentionally and child kidnapping with the death penalty. This measure comes in response to the directives of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune following wildfires last August that resulted in loss of life and material damages across the country. The law stipulates implementing the death penalty in cases of intentionally setting forests and fields on fire, willful destruction of national or private property for the benefit of foreign entities, and threats to national security and order. It also criminalizes child kidnapping by any means and increases sentencing if the crime involves torture or sexual assault, with no mitigating circumstances for offenders. This law is part of efforts to deter crimes that have significantly increased in recent years—particularly kidnapping, which rose from four cases in 2008 to 31 between 2012 and 2013, often motivated by sexual reasons. Although the death penalty has been paused in Algeria since 1993, there is no constitutional ban on its use. The law now requires a two-thirds majority approval in the Council of the Nation and the approval of the President of the Republic to become effective.

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