France has revoked the ministerial decree that authorized the extradition of François Compaoré, the brother of former Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré, to Burkina Faso. This decision was made following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on September 7, 2023, which found that the extradition could violate Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This article prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The extradition decree, which was originally issued in 2020, was repealed on December 13. François Compaoré faced accusations in Burkina Faso related to the murder of investigative journalist Norbert Zongo and three men accompanying him on December 13, 1998. Compaoré was arrested in 2017 at Paris-Roissy airport under an international arrest warrant issued by Burkina Faso. Despite multiple appeals, the French government initially authorized his extradition in 2020, a decision that has now been reversed in line with the ECHR ruling.
The recent political context in Burkina Faso, which has experienced two coups d’état in 2022, was also mentioned as a factor in reconsidering the extradition. The President of the Extradition Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal, during a hearing on lifting judicial control on François Compaoré, noted the changed context in Ouagadougou.
François Compaoré, who was a significant figure during his brother’s 27-year presidency, has consistently contested his extradition, citing serious risks to his fundamental rights. The repeal of the extradition decree has significant implications for his legal status and the broader political relations between France and Burkina Faso, which have seen considerable strain following the coup d’état in September 2022 led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
