The Parliament of Burkina Faso has given the green light this Tuesday to the return of the death penalty, eliminated in 2018, for crimes such as high treason, terrorism, and espionage, thus reversing the previous abolition.
The so-called Transitional Legislative Assembly has unanimously supported the modification of the Penal Code promoted by the Council of Ministers of the military junta led by Ibrahim Traoré, consolidating the punitive turn of the current regime.
The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights emphasized in its official accounts that "This legislative reform aims to reinforce public order, consolidate the fundamental values of the nation, and guarantee the safety of people and property."
Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala detailed to the portal Lefaso that the death penalty will be applied to those accused of terrorism, high treason, or espionage and also to those who import expired or prohibited products when that conduct causes death.
The reform also aggravates sentences for embezzlement, so that those guilty may face life imprisonment, and toughens the treatment of crimes related to road safety, which will now be punished with prison sentences.
The project, submitted last year by the Council of Ministers, also "sanctions the promotion and practices of homosexuality and related activities," expanding the repressive scope of the text.
In May 2018, during the mandate of former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the National Assembly abolished the death penalty for all crimes. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the last documented executions in the country date back to 1988.
In September, the transitional Parliament unanimously approved a regulation that sets prison sentences of between two and five years for those responsible for "homosexual practices." Homosexuality remains criminalized in around thirty African states, and some, like Ghana or Uganda, have recently strengthened their legislation.