BURKINA FASO BRINGS BACK DEATH PENALTY AS PRESIDENT TRAORÉ GETS TOUGH ON SERIOUS CRIMES
BURKINA FASO has officially reinstated the death penalty, eight years after abolishing capital punishment, in a major legal reform under the country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The West African nation’s 71-member transitional legislature unanimously approved a revised penal code on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, allowing courts to impose death sentences for certain serious offences.
Under the new law, crimes punishable by death include terrorism, high treason, espionage, killing one’s parent, and importing expired or prohibited products that result in death.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said the decision forms part of government efforts to strengthen national security, restore public order and respond to serious criminal activities.
Burkina Faso has been battling armed insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group for years, with thousands of people killed and millions displaced.
The government argues that tougher punishments are necessary to confront terrorism and discourage serious crimes.
The decision reverses the abolition of capital punishment introduced in 2018 under former President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
According to Human Rights Watch, the country’s last known execution took place in 1988, meaning Burkina Faso has gone nearly four decades without carrying out a recorded judicial execution.
However, the return of capital punishment has attracted criticism from international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The organisations warn that the law could be used against political opponents and government critics, particularly because treason and espionage are among the offences punishable by death.
Human Rights Watch has also questioned whether the death penalty would effectively address the country’s security challenges.
Traoré, who came to power through a military coup in September 2022, has made national security and the fight against armed insurgents central priorities of his administration.
The reinstatement of the death penalty represents one of the most significant changes to Burkina Faso’s criminal justice system in recent years.
It remains unclear when the country might carry out its first execution under the revised law.