In mid-April, an imam from Bobo-Dioulasso, Mahmoud Barro, was apprehended under comparable circumstances. Days earlier, on March 31, a prominent cyberactivist and government supporter, Mahamadi Baguian, died following his detention by Ouagadougou police.

The recent detention of Imam Mohamed Kindo around 2 p.m. on Tuesday has again ignited controversy, joining two prior cases tied to a single legislative proposal. The contentious bill, aimed at regulating religious freedoms in Burkina Faso, seeks to prohibit worship activities in public spaces including government offices, hospitals, and military barracks.

Introduced during the March 19 Council of Ministers meeting, the draft law has sparked fierce opposition, particularly among Sunni Muslims with Imam Kindo as a leading figure. His vocal criticism of the legislation prompted a tense arrest on the eve of Eid al-Adha, followed by mass protests involving hundreds of worshippers in the capital. Clashes with security forces erupted, marked by tear gas deployments and heavy-handed crowd dispersals in central districts.