The military junta Captain Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso has approved a revised family code that criminalizes homosexuality.
Severe penalties for homosexuality in Burkina Faso
A transgender Ugandan poses in front of a rainbow flag during the 3rd Annual (LGBT) Pride celebrations in Entebbe, Uganda, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014.
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Rebecca Vassie/AP
This decision makes Burkina Faso one of the 22 out of 54 African countries that do not allow same-sex relationships, with severe penalties such as death or long prison sentences in some regions.
The council approved a decree for a new Personal and Family Code (CPF) that "enshrines the ban on homosexuality" in the country, the presidency announced in a statement.
"From now on, homosexuality and related practices are prohibited and punishable by law," emphasized the Minister of Justice, Edasso Rodrigue Bayala.
Although the specific penalties were not outlined, and the text is yet to be approved by the deputies of the Transitional Legislative Assembly,
Burkina Faso may now joins the ranks of Uganda that enacted one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws globally in May of last year.