Burkina Faso’s legislature has adopted a new penal code restoring the death penalty for offences including terrorism, espionage and treason. The decision reverses the abolition of capital punishment introduced in 2018.
All 71 members of the legislature reportedly voted in favour of the revised code. The measure comes as the country continues to face a severe insurgency involving armed groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
The military government presents its security response as necessary to defend the country. But the restoration of capital punishment raises a fundamental question: will harsher penalties make communities safer, or will they expand the risks of injustice and political repression?
Human rights organisations have warned that capital punishment does not resolve the underlying security crisis and that broad security-related offences can be abused. Their concerns are particularly serious where political opposition, independent journalism and civil society face restrictions.
These risks do not diminish the suffering caused by armed groups or the state’s duty to protect civilians. They reinforce the need for credible investigations, fair trials and effective security operations.
The authorities should clarify the precise offences covered by the new code, the evidence required for conviction, defendants’ access to legal representation and the appeal procedures available. They should also explain how the law will be applied without targeting peaceful critics.
A harsher law is not evidence of a more effective security policy. The relevant measures are whether attacks decline, civilians are protected, displaced people can return safely and perpetrators are brought to justice through credible procedures.
Burkina Faso faces a genuine security emergency. But public safety requires more than severe punishments. It requires competent security forces, accountable institutions and confidence that justice will not become an instrument of arbitrary power.
The government should be judged by whether people become safer—not by the severity of the penalties written into law.
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By Viewers Corner News