Algeria: International appeal to maintain the moratorium on executions in Algeria
29 September 2026
On 30 August 2026, following a meeting on the consequences of the forest fires that have plunged Algeria into mourning, the Presidency of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria instructed the Minister of Justice to revise the Criminal Code by 15 September in order to reinstate the death penalty for those found guilty of arson.
On 6 and 9 September 2026, the Council of Ministers examined a draft bill to amend and supplement Ordinance No. 66-156 of 8 June 1966 on the Criminal Code. The bill would provide for the death penalty to be effectively imposed for two types of offence: arson (namely instigators, planners, and perpetrators of arson); and crimes against children (namely perpetrators of child abduction and abuse or mutilation of minors).
The non-governmental organisations and individuals who have signed this appeal express their solidarity with the families of the victims of the fires and their tragic consequences. They reaffirm that human life is sacred and must be protected in all circumstances. They point out that the death penalty has never deterred perpetrators of arson in the past, and that in memory of those who perished in the fires, the perpetrators must be brought to justice, answer for their actions, and make amends for the damage caused, including loss of life.
Algeria has observed a moratorium on executions since 1993. No executions have been carried out following a death sentence handed down by the courts since that date. Algeria has also entered into several international commitments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Since 2007, Algeria has also voted in favour of the United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. If Algeria were to resume executions, this would contradict the consistent position it has defended for decades within the international community and go against the tide of the global, African and Arab momentum in favour of abolition, particularly less than a month after Lebanon's decision to abolish the death penalty.
The signatories of this appeal call on the Algerian authorities to:
Maintain the moratorium and refrain from resuming executions.
Suspend any legislative amendment aimed at extending the list of offences punishable by death in the Penal Code.
Maintain Algeria's commitment to a process aimed at abolishing the death penalty.
Continue to lead the way among abolitionist states in the Maghreb region, and maintain the consistent role that Algeria has always played in progressing towards a universal moratorium.
Abolish the death penalty in Algeria.
Initial signatories:
Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH)
Moroccan Coalition Against the Death Penalty (CMCPM)
Tunisian Coalition Against the Death Penalty (CMCPM)
Committee for the Safeguarding of the Algerian League for Human Rights (CS-LADDH)
Foundation for the Promotion of Rights
Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM)
Co-signatories:
International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD)
Collective of Families of the Disappeared in Algeria (CFDA)
Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ)
International Retaliation (IR)
Defence Without Borders-Solidarity Lawyers DSF AS
Transmediterranean Alliance of ALGERIAN WOMEN (ATFA)
AUNOHR University
Mwubahirize League Burundian League for Women's Rights
Liberties ALGERIA
Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Union of Lawyers (UIA-IROL)
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)
Capital Punishment Justice Project (CPJP)
Organisation Against Torture in Tunisia (OCTT)
Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT Belgium)
Lebanese Association for Civil Rights (LACR)
Transmediterranean Alliance of Algerian Women (ATFA)
Death Penalty Focus NPO
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP)
Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-France)
German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (GCADP)
MENA Rights Group