Burkina Faso’s transitional legislature has unanimously approved a revised penal code reinstating the death penalty for offences including terrorism, espionage and treason, reversing the country’s 2018 abolition of capital punishment for ordinary crimes.
All 71 members of the West African country’s transitional legislature voted in favour of the revised code on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, following its presentation by Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, according to the Associated Press.
The decision restores capital punishment nearly four decades after Burkina Faso’s last known execution, which took place in 1988, according to Human Rights Watch.
The military-led government’s Council of Ministers had approved a bill to restore the death penalty in December 2025, drawing criticism from international human rights organisations.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch warned that the move could threaten fundamental rights and potentially be used to silence critics of the authorities.
The reinstatement comes as Burkina Faso continues to battle an armed insurgency involving militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions across Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region.
The military government has presented the revised penal code as part of its efforts to tackle the security crisis. Bayala had indicated in 2024 that capital punishment would feature in the revised criminal code.
According to Reuters, the new provisions also include the death penalty for cases involving the importation of expired or prohibited products that result in death.
The precise scope of the offences and how the provisions will be implemented depend on the final legal text.
Human rights organisations have questioned whether restoring capital punishment will improve security, warning that it could increase repression and expose people accused of offences to further risks.
Human Rights Watch previously cautioned that the proposed change could deepen a climate of fear and discourage criticism of the military authorities.
Burkina Faso’s military government has also faced allegations of detaining journalists, human rights defenders and other people considered opponents of the authorities.
Earlier in 2026, the authorities dissolved political parties and repealed the laws governing their activities, further raising concerns about political freedoms under military rule.
The country’s security forces have separately faced allegations of serious abuses during counterinsurgency operations. Human Rights Watch reported this year that government forces killed more than twice as many civilians as jihadist fighters between 2023 and 2025.
Armed groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-linked organisation, have also been accused by rights groups of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African country with a population of about 23 million, has been under military rule since a coup in 2022.
The junta has repeatedly delayed a return to civilian rule as it pursues its campaign against armed groups.
The latest parliamentary vote marks a significant shift in the country’s criminal justice policy. Burkina Faso abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 2018 under former President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, although executions had not been carried out since 1988, according to the cited reports.
The reinstatement is expected to intensify international scrutiny of the country’s human rights record as the authorities continue their security campaign.
