Burkina Faso Set To Return Death Penalty In New Bill

Burkina Faso is poised to reinstate capital punishment through a new government bill.

The Council of Ministers in Burkina Faso has approved legislation to reinstate capital punishment for crimes including treason, terrorism, and espionage, according to government officials.

“The adoption of this bill is part of reforms … to have a justice that responds to the deep aspirations of our people,” Minister of Justice Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said in a Facebook post late Thursday.

Capital punishment was eliminated in the nation in 2018.

The legislation must receive parliamentary approval and undergo judicial review before it can take effect.

Related: Burkina Faso’s Military Junta Criminalizes Homosexuality

Following their seizure of power through a 2022 coup, the West African nation’s military authorities have initiated extensive reforms, which include delaying elections that were anticipated to return the country to civilian governance and dismantling the nation’s independent electoral commission.

The country suspended BBC and Voice of America radio stations and also arrested three prominent journalists earlier this year.

The nation is among multiple West African countries where military forces have assumed control in recent years, taking advantage of widespread public dissatisfaction with former democratically elected administrations regarding security matters.

The military administration has faced allegations of human rights violations and the imprisonment of journalists who criticize the government.

The landlocked country with a population of 23 million is among nations grappling with a security crisis in the arid Sahel region located south of the Sahara in recent years.

The country has experienced violence from extremist organizations affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.