According to government source, Burkina Faso wants to reintroduce the death penalty | Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso’s military regime wants to reintroduce the death penalty after the West African country abolished it in 2018, a government source told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.

According to Amnesty International, the last execution in Burkina Faso took place on September 19, 1988. The country’s latest executions killed four leaders accused of plotting a coup to oust President Blaise Compaoré, Defense Minister Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani, Economy Minister Henri Zongo and two unidentified men.

Reintroducing the death penalty into the penal code “is being considered,” the source said. “It is up to the government to discuss it and then submit the proposal to the interim legislative assembly for adoption.”

Justice Minister Rodrigue Bayala said on Friday, after parliament passed a bill introducing community service, that “the issue of the death penalty, which is being discussed, will be implemented in the draft penal code.”

Bayala also said there may be further changes to the penal code “to follow the vision and directives of the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré,” who seized power in a coup in September 2022.

In May this year, Burkina Faso’s military government announced it would extend junta rule for another five years, despite Traoré, the country’s ruler, promising to restore civilian rule by July 1.

Instead, Traoré’s government passed a bill this month that included plans to ban homosexuality.

Amnesty International has found that the use of the death penalty is increasing in Africa, with “recorded executions more than tripling and recorded death sentences increasing significantly by 66%,” it said in October.

Conversely, Amnesty said: “24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while two more countries have abolished it only for common crimes.”

“Kenya and Zimbabwe have currently introduced draft legislation to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, while Gambia… has initiated a constitutional amendment process that will… effectively abolish the death penalty,” it said.