Burkina faso: During the first quarter of 2026, 14 people, of all beliefs, were arrested for inciting hatred, disturbing public order and disseminating religiously contentious remarks on social media, the Prosecutor of Faso at the High Court (TGI), Blaise Bazi©, announced Friday in Ouagadougou.
According to Burkina Information Agency, of the 14 people arrested, eight were sentenced to community service and sent to the Laabal brigade. Four others benefited from criminal mediation and paid fines.
Two people were sentenced to prison terms and fines, one of them to five years in prison for inciting the commission of a murder.
The Prosecutor of Faso, speaking at a press conference, indicated that in response to the resurgence of the phenomenon during the months of April and May, surveillance actions have been intensified, leading to the arrest of several other people.
He added that more than fifty individuals are currently being sought. "Once found, they will be arrested, tried and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law," he stated.
In addition to the penalties that will be imposed on those responsible for hate speech, calls for violence and breaches of public order, the prosecutor announced that from now on, the profiles and other accounts of the people concerned will be deleted.
He explained that these individuals, on digital platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp groups, make offensive remarks, spread hate speech, publish content likely to sow division, incite hatred and religious intolerance, and advocate violence and division, thereby compromising social cohesion, peace and national stability.
The prosecutor firmly reiterated that the digital space is not a lawless zone.
Therefore, he continued, social media cannot be used as tools for manipulation, disinformation, radicalization, verbal abuse, or undermining the foundations of national cohesion.
"Freedom of expression, recognized and guaranteed by our texts, cannot under any circumstances be used as a pretext to incite hatred, stir up religious or community tensions, or undermine the security and stability of the country," he argued.
Prosecutor Blaise Bazi© called on all those who engage in such practices to come to their senses and return to better sentiments.
He reaffirmed the prosecutor's determination to ensure the strict application of the law, to protect society against dangerous excesses in the digital space and to guarantee the security and stability of Burkina Faso.
"We will continue to act with rigor and responsibility to ensure that social networks remain spaces for constructive expression and not grounds for hatred or violence," he stated.
It should be noted that the prosecutor's office carried out these actions of identification, investigation and arrest of the authors of hate speech, as well as all their accomplices, thanks to close collaboration with the Central Brigade for Combating Cybercrime (BCLCC).