The African nation of Burkina Faso has delivered it’s first prison sentence for homosexuality with a man sentenced to two years behind bars, a fine of AUD$5,300, and deportation at the completion of his sentence.
The new laws outlawing homosexuality were introduced in September 2025. It is the first time there has been a law against homosexuality in the country.
The landlocked country in West Africa is bordered by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Burkina Faso remains one of the most undeveloped and politically unstable countries in the world. President Ibrahim Traoré came to power in 2022 via a coup d’état. Since coming to power Traoré has seen off two further coup attempts, and has maintained power through strong use of propaganda and a tight control of the country’s parliament.
The African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) has raised concerns about the new laws which they described as being vague and open to interpretation.
“AHRC expresses grave concern over this conviction, particularly given the sweeping and vague language of the new law, its application against a vulnerable foreign national, and the penal severity including post-sentence expulsion,” the organization said in a statement. “This represents the first known enforcement of the 2025 criminalization statute and marks a significant escalation in the legal persecution of LGBTQI+ people in Burkina Faso.”
Human Rights Watch have noted that when President Traoré came to power armed Islamist groups, state security forces engaged in military operations, and pro-government militias were all responsible for serious abuses, further degrading Burkina Faso’s human rights and humanitarian situation.
In December the military junta reinstated the death penalty nearly a decade after the previous government had removed the practice. The last known judicial execution in Burkina Faso took place in 1988. Under the news laws the option of the death penalty will be available in cases relating to “high treason, terrorism and acts of espionage.”
