Paris and Algiers, 14 September 2026. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) stands in solidarity with the victims of the recent fires, their families, and everyone mobilised to help the persons affected. Notwithstanding, the legal response taking shape and advanced by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is alarming. The gravity of the arson attacks and the resulting loss of life call for a serious, independent, and effective judicial response, but cannot justify the reinstatement of executions, especially when investigations have already led to the arrest of persons in connection with the fires.
The Algerian Criminal Code already provides for the death penalty in cases where an act of arson results in the death of persons (article 399). The amendment sought by President Tebboune would expand and make effective immediately the application of the death penalty to arsonists who start forest fires in cases where there has been no loss of life. These changes would expand the use of the death penalty and represent a departure from the moratorium on executions in place since 1993.
"The gravity of a crime can never justify the use of the death penalty. Be it for arson or any other offense, the justice system must prosecute, try, and punish the persons responsible, but it cannot respond to death with death. Reintroducing executions in Algeria would represent a step backward of historical proportions and would break with more than 30 years of a de facto moratorium. The Algerian authorities would show true stature not by bringing back the gallows, but by transforming the moratorium into a definitive abolition and an unequivocal affirmation that the right to life depends neither on the nature of the crime nor on political circumstances", stated Aissa Rahmoune, Secretary General of FIDH and President of the Collectif de sauvegarde de la Ligue algérienne des droits de l’Homme (CS-LADDH).
Death sentences are regularly handed down, but Algeria has not executed anyone for 33 years. Moreover, in recent years, Algeria has supported resolutions brought before the United Nations General Assembly calling on states to establish a moratorium on executions and ultimately abolish the death penalty. Raising the prospect of reinstating executions or expanding the use of the death penalty represents a major setback for human rights and sends a deeply concerning signal with respect to the country’s international commitments.
Combating arson requires independent and rigorous investigations, the establishment of liability based on evidence, respect for the presumption of innocence, and full guarantees for the rights of the defence. Any person being prosecuted has the right to a fair trial before an independent court and must have access to effective legal remedies.
As a founding member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and a member of its Steering Committee, the FIDH and its member organization in Algeria, the CS-LADDH, reaffirm their opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and regardless of the crime committed, its gravity, or the emotions it arouses. The justice system must punish crimes, but it must refrain from killing in the name of victims, society, or the State.