Algeria approves death penalty for forest arsonists amid rights concerns

Algeria's parliament has endorsed a controversial bill that would make arson resulting in forest fires a capital offence, marking a significant escalation in penalties for environmental crimes in the North African nation.

The legislation was approved by the lower chamber following parliamentary debate on the measure. Proponents of the law argue that Algeria's forest ecosystem faces severe threats from wildfires, particularly during summer months when blazes have destroyed vast tracts of woodland and grassland across the country.

However, international and regional human rights organisations have raised alarm over the bill's implications. Observers have cautioned that the law could be misused as a tool to prosecute political dissidents and opposition figures, a concern that reflects wider anxieties about judicial independence and due process protections in the country.

The legislation now awaits passage through Algeria's upper chamber before it can become law. The measure represents one of the world's most severe statutory penalties for arson-related offences, putting Algeria alongside a limited number of jurisdictions that maintain capital punishment for non-homicide crimes.