Burkina Faso parliament voted yesterday, October 21, 2026, to bring back death penalty. The country had removed death penalty since 2018.
The 71-member assembly voted unanimously for the new law. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala presented the bill. He said the old law was too soft and it helped armed groups to recruit people.
The new law says death penalty will apply for serious crimes like terrorism, espionage, treason, and importing expired or banned products that cause death.
Burkina Faso has been fighting Islamist insurgency linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State for years. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced. The government says this law is part of response to the insecurity.
But human rights groups like Human Rights Watch are not happy. They said bringing back death penalty could be used to silence critics of the military government and create fear.
Burkina Faso last carried out judicial execution in 1988 according to Amnesty International.
This decision shows how security problems are changing laws across the Sahel region.
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