Burkina Faso’s parliament has unanimously adopted a revised penal code restoring the death penalty for offences including high treason, terrorism, espionage, parricide and the importation of expired or prohibited products.
The decision, announced on October 21, 2026, reverses the country’s 2018 abolition of capital punishment. The last known judicial execution in Burkina Faso took place in 1988.
The military government, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has defended the move as part of efforts to tackle terrorism and strengthen national security amid a prolonged insurgency by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
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However, human rights organisations have warned that reinstating the death penalty could deepen repression and provide another means of targeting critics of the military government.
Since the September 2022 coup, authorities have faced accusations of restricting press freedom, suppressing political opposition and arbitrarily detaining critics.
Human Rights Watch has also raised concerns about weaknesses in the country’s justice system, warning that capital punishment could increase the risk of irreversible miscarriages of justice.
The development has renewed debate over the balance between national security, judicial accountability and the protection of fundamental human rights.
By TalkJudith
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