Amnesty International urges Burkina Faso to enact legislation to ensure it does not become a safe haven for those suspected of the worst crimes known to humanity

Universal jurisdiction is the ability of national courts to investigate and prosecute a person suspected of committing a crime outside its territory, regardless of the nationality of the suspect, the victim or the state where the crime was committed. [...] Burkina Faso must change its law so that crimes under international law are defined in their national legislation in accordance with international law and standards, and eliminate any obstacles to the exercise of universal jurisdiction. [...] The effect of this situation is to allow persons suspected of these crimes to travel across the continent freely. [...] The authorities should make a strong commitment to apply universal jurisdiction whenever a case comes to their attention, and should develop an effective action plan involving the immigration authorities, police, prosecutors and investigating judges to ensure effective investigations and prosecutions in such cases. [...] Despite the fact that Burkina Faso is a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, in August 2011, the authorities offered refuge to Muammar Gadhafi in spite of an arrest warrant issued against him by the Court.