ALGIERS, Oct 1 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Algeria's People's National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Thursday approved amendments to the Penal Code, introducing the death penalty for serious crimes including intentional arson and child kidnapping, Xinhua reported.
Adopted during a plenary session, the amendments stipulate that the death penalty applies to those who intentionally set fire to forests and agricultural fields, as well as to child kidnappers, and perpetrators of certain acts of torture, sexual assault, or abuse.
The penalty will also apply to those who deliberately sabotage public or private property for the benefit of foreign parties in cases involving treason, espionage or organised crime. It also applies to acts aimed at undermining public security and order, national unity, or economic and environmental stability.
Algeria has not carried out an execution since 1993, although its courts have continued to hand down death sentences. In July 2025, amendments to drug legislation imposed capital punishment for several narcotics-related offences.
-- BERNAMA-XINHUA