Burkina Faso’s parliament approved a revised penal code restoring the death penalty on Oct. 20, reversing the country’s 2018 abolition as its military government seeks tougher penalties amid an Islamist insurgency.
The code covers terrorism, treason and espionage. State-run media said it also provides for capital punishment when imported expired or banned products cause a death.
The Justice Ministry said the 71-member assembly approved the code unanimously. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala presented it on the government’s behalf.
Bayala argued that lighter penalties under the previous code had helped armed groups attract recruits. Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes during a prolonged insurgency, Reuters reported.
Human Rights Watch warned when ministers first approved the proposal last year that restoring executions could intensify repression and discourage criticism of the military government. Amnesty International puts Burkina Faso’s most recent known judicial execution in 1988.
