Key facts
- Parliament voted unanimously to restore the death penalty.
- The death penalty will apply to crimes like terrorism, espionage, and treason.
Burkina Faso's parliament unanimously adopted a revised penal code on Tuesday, restoring the death penalty for crimes including terrorism and treason. The Justice Ministry stated the change aims to combat the country's Islamist insurgency, a move criticized by Human Rights Watch as potentially deepening repression.
The reinstatement of the death penalty in Burkina Faso signals a hardening of the state's response to the persistent Islamist insurgency, potentially impacting human rights and the government's relationship with international rights groups.
Burkina Faso's parliament has voted to reinstate the death penalty, nearly a decade after it was abolished. The revised penal code, adopted unanimously by the 71-member assembly on Tuesday, includes capital punishment for crimes such as terrorism, espionage, treason, and for importing banned products that lead to death. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala presented the bill, stating that the previous leniency of the penal code aided armed groups in recruitment. The government frames this change as a measure to combat the ongoing Islamist insurgency plaguing the nation. However, Human Rights Watch has expressed concerns, warning that the reinstatement could intensify repression and foster a climate of fear, potentially targeting critics of the military government. Burkina Faso abolished the death penalty in 2018, with its last known judicial execution occurring in 1988.
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