Algeria's parliament votes to extend death penalty to arson-related forest fires

Algeria's parliament has voted to extend the death penalty to people found responsible for starting forest fires, according to a report in Le Monde.

The same legislative text also broadens capital punishment to cover new cases of child abduction involving serious violence, the report said. Authorities cited a rise in such acts in recent years as part of the rationale for the expanded measure.

Le Monde's report did not specify the exact vote count in parliament, the date the measure would take effect, or further detail on how the new provisions would be applied in practice.

Algeria has retained the death penalty in law while maintaining a long-standing moratorium on executions, according to past reporting on the country's justice system; the report on this latest measure did not address whether that moratorium would be affected by the expanded provisions.

The report did not include reaction from human rights organizations or other commentary on the legislative change at the time of publication.