Burkina Faso Brings Back the Death Penalty: Which Crimes Are Covered? ‎

Burkina Faso has reintroduced the death penalty, eight years after abolishing it. The Assemblée législative du peuple adopted a new Penal Code on Tuesday 20 October 2026, with all 71 members voting in favour. The members are not elected, and the body serves as the junta-led country's parliament.

The state news agency, the Agence d'information du Burkina (AIB), reported that capital punishment now applies to acts of terrorism, espionage, treason, parricide, and the importation of expired or prohibited products that cause death. Both perpetrators and accomplices in terrorist acts are covered, according to Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala. Parricide means the killing of one's father or mother.

Why the government says it acted
The minister has presented the change as a way to strengthen the judicial response to terrorism and punish particularly serious crimes severely. The country has faced a decade of violence by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, causing thousands of deaths and mass displacement. In late September, Captain Ibrahim Traoré warned that those convicted of espionage or treason would be punished without pity.

What changes in law
The death penalty was abolished in 2018 under the civilian government of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. The last recorded execution in Burkina Faso was in 1988. The government first moved on the issue when the Council of Ministers adopted the draft on 4 December 2025.

The new code is large: it has 933 articles, creates offences related to information technology, and penalizes the slaughter and export of donkeys and horses. It also reintroduces criminal penalties for press offences. The government plans to translate the code into national languages so citizens can understand it.

The other side of the debate
Rights groups oppose the move. Amnesty International, when Burkina Faso abolished the penalty in 2018, argued that it opposes capital punishment in all cases and that there is no credible evidence it deters crime more than prison.

Critics also point to the political context: the junta has moved to suppress dissent and critics of its governance, which raises concern over how broad terms such as espionage and treason will be applied. Supporters counter that the offences chosen reflect a wartime security threat.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880

Sources
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