Life Imprisonment For People Involved in Deliberately Burning Forests

On Monday, MPs of the National People’s Assembly will begin discussing the draft law on forests and forest resources, which for the first time includes strict measures and procedures to confront the scenario of fires and end gangs trading in forest resources.

The Algerian legislator also approved a life sentence against anyone involved in setting fire to forests.

A preliminary report of the text of the draft law, which is read by Echorouk, and presented to the MPs for discussion and voting, included new measures to protect forest wealth, especially in the face of fires, desertification, and all excessive or arbitrary use or exploitation of forest resources, in addition to cases of illegal exploitation such as buildings and facilities within the forest public domain or close to it.

The draft law aims, according to the preliminary report, to value the forest public domain, especially in the field of exploitation of wood and non-wood materials.

It also includes strict penalties against those involved in the crimes of setting a fire, as well as illegally exploiting forest resources, as a punishment of imprisonment from 3 to 5 years, and a fine of 300,000 to 500,000 dzd, whoever deliberately sets fire to forests, trees or timber placed in piles or the form of cubes located inside the forests, if they are owned by a person unless they cause any damage to the public property of others.

If setting fire causes any damage to the public property of others, according to the text of the draft, the perpetrator shall be punished with imprisonment from 5 to 10 years and a fine from dzd 500.000 to one million Algerian dinars, and whoever intentionally sets fire to forests, bushes, tree sections, or wood placed in piles if they are not owned by the person, and if the setting of fire causes any damage to public property or third parties, the perpetrator shall be punished with imprisonment from 12 to 15 years.

Life imprisonment shall be imposed on whoever intentionally sets fire to the forest property of the State, local groups, institutions or bodies subject to public law with the intent of attacking.

The draft stipulates that if the intentional fire causes a wound or permanent disability, then the penalty prescribed for the person is life imprisonment, and a penalty of imprisonment from 6 months to two years and a fine of 300.000 to 500.000 dzd, whoever unintentionally causes a fire that leads to destroying the property of others due to recklessness, lack of precaution, lack of attention, negligence, or non-compliance with regulations.

Anyone who uses fire for purposes without taking measures such as cooking, or leaving waste and other purposes that cause a fire, shall also be punished with imprisonment from two to six months and a fine of up to dzd 100,000.

Concerning crimes related to buildings and illegal occupation within the forest public domain, whoever constructs a building within the forest public domain shall be punished with imprisonment from 7 to 12 years, and a fine exceeding dzd 700,000.