Stories
Burkina Faso Parliament Unanimously Votes to Reinstate Death Penalty
- •Burkina Faso's parliament unanimously adopted a new penal code reinstating the death penalty for crimes such as terrorism, espionage, and treason.
- •The decision reverses the abolition of capital punishment that had been in place since 2018 under the previous democratically elected administration.
- •Human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have strongly criticized the move, viewing it as repressive and a tool to suppress dissent.
- •The West African nation is currently grappling with a severe security crisis while battling militant groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Key Questions Answered
Burkina Faso's parliament unanimously voted to adopt a new penal code that reinstates capital punishment for crimes like terrorism, espionage, and treason. This decision ended the country's abolition of the death penalty, which had been in effect since 2018.
The last known execution in Burkina Faso took place in 1988, according to Human Rights Watch. Although the country legally abolished capital punishment later under former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the military junta's new code has now brought it back.
Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have strongly criticized the move. They described the reinstatement as repressive and an effort by the military junta to suppress dissent and target political opponents.
