Algeria: Threats to Resume Executions After 30 Years

Amnesty International has called on Algerian authorities to immediately abandon any plans to expand the application of the death penalty or resume executions after more than three decades without carrying out a single execution. This appeal comes as the government considers amendments to the penal code that could broaden the use of capital punishment. The organization urges the authorities to declare an official moratorium on executions as a first step toward full abolition.

Presidential Directive and Wildfire Context

On August 30, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune directed the Minister of Justice to amend the penal code by September 15 with the aim of “reinstating” the death penalty for those who intentionally set fires or incite others to do so. The president emphasized that sentences of death would be carried out immediately upon exhaustion of all appeal rights. This directive followed deadly wildfires between August 26 and 30 that destroyed entire villages in the Kabylie region and other parts of northeastern Algeria.

On September 6, the government began studying proposed amendments to the penal code. President Tebboune indicated that these changes would also impose the death penalty on “kidnappers and torturers of minors.” Amnesty International researcher Nadia Arhour stated that while the devastation caused by the fires is a profound tragedy requiring immediate preventive and accountability measures, reversing a 30-year trend of no executions represents a severe regression inconsistent with the right to life.

Historical Precedent and Political Concerns

The organization noted that this potential expansion contradicts Algeria’s international human rights commitments and its consistent support for UN General Assembly resolutions calling for a moratorium on executions. Amnesty International views the death penalty as a violation of the right to life and the cruelest form of punishment, which lacks exceptional deterrent effect and perpetuates violence.

Authorities have previously used wildfires as a pretext for repression. Following fires in August 2021 that killed at least 90 people, officials blamed opposition groups, including the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MFK), which was classified as a terrorist organization. In November 2022, a court sentenced 56 people to death in a trial marred by serious fair trial violations and allegations of torture. At least ten received death sentences based on political affiliations. The Supreme Court later ordered a retrial, scheduled to begin in March 2026.

Since 2021, courts have pursued politically motivated terrorism charges carrying mandatory death penalties against peaceful activists in cases unrelated to wildfires. Between July 26 and September 10, authorities detained 20 individuals on suspicion of arson and sabotage, a terrorism-linked charge. Official figures from August 26 recorded 12 deaths and 54 hospitalizations, but reliable sources reported significantly higher casualties, including over 70 deaths in one municipality alone.

Call for Comprehensive Investigation

Amnesty International urged authorities to focus on protecting lives through prevention and emergency response measures addressing climate change exacerbation. Nadia Arhour emphasized that accountability cannot be reduced to prosecuting suspected arsonists. Authorities must conduct comprehensive, independent, and transparent investigations into all factors contributing to the fires, including government failures in prevention and emergency preparedness. Where evidence of criminal responsibility exists, officials should be prosecuted in fair trials excluding the death penalty. Survivors and families of victims have the right to timely and accessible information about missing or deceased persons.

This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.