Burkina Faso’s parliament has unanimously approved legislation restoring the death penalty for several serious offences, reversing the country’s 2018 abolition of capital punishment as its military-led government intensifies efforts to combat an Islamist insurgency.
The revised penal code, adopted on Tuesday, introduces capital punishment for crimes including terrorism, espionage and treason, as well as the importation of expired or prohibited products that result in death, according to state media.
All 71 members of the country’s legislative assembly voted in favour of the bill after Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala presented it on behalf of the government, the Justice Ministry announced.
The decision marks a significant shift in Burkina Faso’s criminal justice system, nearly eight years after the West African nation abolished the death penalty.
The government has defended the measure as necessary to strengthen national security and deter violent crime amid a prolonged insurgency involving armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and Daesh.
The conflict has killed thousands of people, forced millions from their homes and destabilised large parts of the country.
Bayala argued that weaknesses in the previous penal code, including what he described as relatively lenient punishments, had contributed to recruitment by armed organisations.
However, the legislation has raised concerns among international human rights organisations about the potential for capital punishment to be used as a tool of political repression.
Human Rights Watch warned when the government initially approved the proposal in 2025 that restoring executions could intensify repression, foster fear and discourage criticism of the military authorities.
The organisation has also raised broader concerns about restrictions on civil liberties and political freedoms under Burkina Faso’s military-led administration.
Burkina Faso abolished capital punishment in 2018 as part of reforms to its criminal justice system.
According to Amnesty International, the country’s last known judicial execution took place in 1988.
The new legislation reverses that position, placing Burkina Faso among countries that have moved to restore capital punishment after previously abolishing it.
