Algeria reintroduces the death penalty for arsonists after wildfires have ravaged the country

In a public intervention, the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, announced the reintroduction of drastic measures against arson, considering intentionally caused fires as acts of exceptional gravity that affect national security.

The legislative changes aim to strengthen penalties for intentional fires, given that current penalties have not had a deterrent impact. Authorities have already detained suspects who are believed to have caused the fires under extreme weather conditions, and evidence suggests a human component in the outbreak of the blazes. Reduced rainfall and record temperatures have favored the rapid spread of fires, destroying thousands of hectares of forest and forcing the evacuation of rural communities.

The reintroduction of the death penalty for arsonists sparks an international debate on the ethics and effectiveness of this measure, considering the de facto moratorium applied in recent decades.