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Burkina Faso’s Government Considers Death Penalty Return
Burkina Faso’s military government is considering reintroducing the death penalty, six years after it was abolished in 2018, a government official confirmed to AFP on Saturday.
The proposal, which has yet to be scheduled for discussion, will be submitted to the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) for approval if it moves forward.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Justice Minister Rodrigue Bayala indicated that the reintroduction of capital punishment could be incorporated into the forthcoming criminal code revisions.
Speaking after the passage of a bill authorizing community service as a criminal penalty, Bayala acknowledged that capital punishment remains a subject under active review, aligned with the directives from the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traore, who assumed leadership following a coup in September 2022.
The last recorded execution in Burkina Faso took place in 1988, according to Amnesty International, which has raised concerns over the increasing use of the death penalty across Africa.
In its recent October statement, Amnesty highlighted a rise in recorded executions and death sentences by 66 percent across the continent in recent years.
Burkina Faso Death Penalty
However, the rights group also noted a growing abolition movement, with 24 Sub-Saharan African countries eliminating the death penalty for all crimes, and two others limiting it to the most severe offenses.
In contrast to Burkina Faso’s potential reversal, countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Gambia are actively working toward complete abolition of capital punishment, with legislative and constitutional efforts underway.
Burkina Faso’s current administration has signaled broader shifts in its legal framework, having recently introduced proposals addressing controversial social issues, including a bill aimed at banning homosexuality.
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