Burkina Faso has written the death penalty back into its law. On Tuesday, 20 October 2026, the Legislative Assembly of the People (ALP) unanimously adopted, with all 71 of its members in favour, a new penal code that restores it. The text revises the law of 25 May 2018 that had abolished it. The ALP serves as the country’s parliament, but its members are not elected, as Burkina Faso has been ruled by a junta since late 2022.
The list of crimes punishable by death is broad. It covers acts of terrorism, espionage, treason and parricide, as well as importing expired or banned products when this has caused a death. In terrorism cases, both perpetrators and accomplices face the penalty.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala defended the reform before lawmakers. He said it is meant to strengthen public order and help fight terrorism as well as economic and financial crime. He argued that terrorist groups recruit by telling candidates they have little to lose if arrested, so that abolition had worked in favour of the armed groups attacking the country.
The death penalty is not the only change. The code sets life imprisonment for embezzlement above a certain amount, alongside a fine equal to three times the sum taken, and toughens penalties for road safety offences, which the minister described as the leading cause of death in the country. The text runs to more than 900 articles and went through over 700 amendments in committee.
The vote completes a process launched almost a year ago. The government approved the bill in the Council of Ministers on 4 December 2025, which already drew strong criticism. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch see it as a repressive measure aimed at silencing dissent. The transitional authorities also dissolved all political parties this year and repealed the laws governing them.
In practice, Burkina Faso has carried out no execution since 1988. How the new provisions will be applied depends on the final version of the law and its entry into force. The country of 23 million people continues to face a severe security crisis as it fights armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.