Burkina Faso's transitional legislature voted unanimously on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to adopt a new penal code that restores the death penalty. All 71 members of the Assemblée Législative du Peuple present voted in favour. The law replaces the 2018 penal code, which had abolished capital punishment for ordinary crimes. The death penalty now applies to terrorism, treason, espionage, parricide, and the importation of expired or prohibited products where the offence results in death. The last known execution in Burkina Faso was in 1988. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala framed the decision around the insurgency. He said terrorists were being recruited with the promise that, even if arrested, they would face nothing worse than life imprisonment. The new law, he argued, closes that gap. The government says it aims to strengthen public order and protect people and property. Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced plans to restore the death penalty last year. The Council of Ministers approved the draft in December 2025, and the transitional legislature has now ratified it. Amnesty International opposed the move. The rights group called on the authorities to abandon the measure, arguing it would reverse progress made since 2018. Human rights organisations have consistently argued that capital punishment does not deter terrorism and risks becoming a tool of political repression. Burkina Faso is fighting a war. The government says the law is a weapon. The question is whether it will be used only against terrorists—or against anyone the state decides is an enemy. #FYP #ForYou #Viral #Trending #Worldwide - @ugi_africa