The non-governmental organization Amnesty International has urged Algeria this Tuesday to "immediately abandon" any initiative aimed at extending the use of the death penalty or resuming executions, which have been interrupted for more than three decades in the North African country, at a time when changes to the Penal Code are being analyzed to incorporate new crimes punishable by death.
The NGO has demanded that the Algerian authorities immediately decree an official moratorium as an initial step towards the definitive abolition of the death penalty. It has also asked Algeria to respond to the recent wildfires from a human rights-based approach, after President Abdelmayid Tebune requested on August 30 that the Ministry of Justice modify the Penal Code to "reintroduce" the death penalty for causing or instigating fires.
The head of state also suggested that the government study the possibility of applying the maximum penalty to "child kidnappers and those responsible for child abuse," a proposal that is still under evaluation by the Executive and on which no definitive decision has yet been made.
"The devastation and loss of human lives caused by these fires constitute a profound tragedy and should prompt the Algerian authorities to take immediate measures focused on both prevention and accountability," noted Nadege Lahmar, Amnesty International researcher on Algeria.
However, she emphasized that "going back after more than 30 years without executions is a deeply retrograde measure that contravenes respect for the right to life," while also highlighting that this shift "would violate Algeria's international obligations regarding human rights, as well as its constant support for the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly calling for a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty."
Amnesty International has explained that, although the authorities have not yet released a complete count of fatalities and injuries, and maintain the official figure at twelve deceased, various reliable sources raise the number of dead to more than 70 in just one of the municipalities affected by the fire.
Between July 26 and September 10, the authorities announced the detention of 20 people suspected of causing fires and of "subversion," a charge that can carry the death penalty. Among those arrested would be a supposed sympathizer of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), an opposition group that Algeria considers a terrorist organization.
In this regard, the NGO has reminded that the Algerian government would have previously used the fires as an argument to intensify repression, including accusations against the MAK and other dissidents for the fires recorded in August 2021, which caused at least 90 deaths and led to terrorism charges against numerous individuals.
Furthermore, an Algerian court sentenced 56 defendants to death in November 2022 in a mass trial that, according to Amnesty International, was plagued by irregularities and allegations of torture made by the defendants. Subsequently, the Supreme Court ordered the trial to be repeated, which began on March 1, 2026.
"Accountability for the devastating loss of human lives caused by wildfires cannot be reduced to pursuing the alleged perpetrators of arson," defended Lahmar, who insisted that the authorities "must conduct thorough, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all factors that caused or contributed to the fires and the loss of lives, including possible negligence by public officials and deficiencies in prevention, preparedness, and emergency response."
"The results must be made public and, when there is sufficient evidence of criminal responsibility, those responsible must be prosecuted in fair trials that exclude the use of the death penalty," he added, before reiterating that "survivors and families have the right to receive timely, accessible, and accurate information about missing or deceased persons."