Burkina Faso: visitors face death penalty for terrorism, treason, espionage

Burkina Faso's ruling junta has reinstated the death penalty, the country's justice ministry said on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, after a unanimous vote by the West African state's unelected legislature. The move reverses the abolition of capital punishment in 2018 and affects the legal framework applying to anyone in the country.

Key facts

• Announced: Tuesday, 20 October 2026, by the justice ministry
• Approved by: Burkina Faso's unelected legislature, in a unanimous vote
• Change: a new penal code reintroduces capital punishment, abolished in 2018
• Offences listed: terrorism, espionage, treason, patricide and importing expired or banned products causing death
• Last recorded execution: 1988, according to Amnesty International

What is changing?

A new penal code reintroduces capital punishment in Burkina Faso, the justice ministry said. The death penalty had been abolished in the country in 2018. The ministry said the code "aims to strengthen public order, consolidate the nation's fundamental values and guarantee security for people and property".

Which crimes carry the death penalty?

State news agency AIB said offences punishable by death would include acts of terrorism, espionage, treason, patricide and importing expired or banned products causing death. The source does not set out the full list of offences or the procedures that would apply.

When does it take effect?

No start date for the new penal code has been announced in the information available. The source states only that the justice ministry confirmed the reinstatement on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, following the legislature's vote.

Why is this happening?

Burkina Faso has been ruled by a military junta since a 2022 coup. Its leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, had announced plans last year to reinstate the death penalty. Amnesty International, which recorded the last execution in Burkina Faso in 1988, had urged the country not to bring back capital punishment.

What this means for travellers

The change alters the criminal penalties that apply in Burkina Faso, so travellers in the country face a legal framework in which capital punishment is again provided for in the penal code. Anyone planning a trip should check the offences listed under the new code and follow the security and legal conditions in force during their visit.

No further steps, transition rules or implementation dates have been announced. Any details on how and when the new penal code takes effect are still to be confirmed.