Burkina Faso criminalizes homosexuality with up to 5 years in prison

Burkina Faso has enacted a law criminalizing homosexuality, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison, according to media reports.

AFP, citing Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, reported that the law calls for prison sentences of two to five years and fines “if a person is a perpetrator of homosexual or similar practices.” Bayala said foreign nationals convicted under the law would also be deported.

The new measure comes under the rule of a military junta that seized power in 2022 after back-to-back coups in the landlocked nation of more than 20 million people.

Burkina Faso is now among more than 30 African countries that outlaw homosexuality. Uganda enacted one of the continent’s strictest laws in 2023, imposing life imprisonment for same-sex activity and the death penalty in so-called “aggravated cases.”

Neighboring Mali, an ally of Burkina Faso’s junta, introduced prison sentences of up to seven years for same-sex activity last year, while Chad has enforced similar bans since 2017.

Globally, about 65 countries criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, according to human rights groups. In the Middle East, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Yemen maintain prohibitions that can include the death penalty. Several Asian nations, including Malaysia and Myanmar, also enforce bans.