- Burkina Faso's parliament voted unanimously to bring back capital punishment, a law that had been abolished since 2018
- The move targets crimes including terrorism, espionage and treason under junta leader Ibrahim Traoré's government
- Human rights organisations have condemned the decision, raising fresh concerns about the direction of Traoré's military rule
Masolo Mabonga is the HOD of Politics and Current Affairs at TUKO.co.ke, covering political and world news. Mabonga has over seven years of journalism experience and joined TUKO.co.ke in 2019.
Burkina Faso's military-led government has restored the death penalty, with the country's parliament passing the measure by a unanimous vote, drawing sharp condemnation from human rights groups around the world.
Source: Getty Images
All 71 members of parliament backed the new legislation, which targets offences including terrorism, espionage and treason.
The decision reverses a ban on capital punishment that had been in place since 2018, introduced under the democratically elected government of former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
The last recorded execution in Burkina Faso dates back to 1988, according to Human Rights Watch, which was among the organisations to speak out against the change. Amnesty International also criticised the reinstatement.
Interim president Ibrahim Traoré has governed the West African nation since seizing power in a 2022 coup.
His administration has faced sustained criticism from civil society and international partners over a pattern of repression that includes the detention of journalists and human rights defenders, the dissolution of political parties, bans on media outlets and the suspension of unions and civil society organisations.
According to Allegrozzi, the junta has also forced the United Nations human rights agency to leave the country and subjected critics to unlawful conscription, torture and enforced disappearances.
The landlocked nation, home to approximately 23 million people, is in the grip of a worsening security crisis as government forces battle militant groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Traoré's government has framed much of its hardline approach as a necessary response to the ongoing insurgency.
The restoration of the death penalty marks one of the most significant legal shifts under Traoré's rule and is likely to deepen tensions between Burkina Faso's junta and its international critics.
Source: TUKO.co.ke