In Burkina Faso, the unelected transitional parliament passed a bill banning same-sex sexual acts, imposing punishments of up to five years in jail.
The 71 members of the Transitional Legislative Assembly, currently acting as parliament since the coup d’état of the military junta in 2022, has been reforming the country’s Family Code. Over a year ago, amendments were also introduced to criminalize homosexuality.
In a BBC.co.uk report, Burkina Faso’s justice minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala was quoted as saying that “the law provides for a prison sentence of between two and five years as well as fines”, adding that foreign nationals caught breaking the law would also be deported.
The legislation now awaits the signature of the country’s current unelected head, military leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré.
Interestingly, when Burkina Faso gained independence France in 1960, it did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws. But since 2023, extremely conservative figures have been influencing the Transitional Legislative Assembly’s decision pertaining LGBTQIA+ people’s rights in Burkina Faso.
