Burkina Faso’s legislative assembly has approved a revised Penal Code that reinstates the death penalty for terrorism, treason, espionage and certain offences involving prohibited or expired products that result in death.
The revised law was adopted on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, according to reports by international media and Burkina Faso’s state news agency.
The legislation marks a reversal of the country’s 2018 abolition of capital punishment. Burkina Faso’s last known judicial execution took place in 1988.
Under the revised provisions, the death penalty applies to specified serious offences, including terrorism, treason and espionage. The law also reportedly provides for capital punishment in cases involving the importation of prohibited or expired products that result in death.
However, the provision concerning prohibited or expired products does not mean that every case of importing such goods automatically attracts the death penalty.
The adoption of the revised Penal Code comes as Burkina Faso continues to confront security challenges linked to militant violence.
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