Date of initial appointment to the judicial roster: 12 August 2021
Current term: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2026
Judge Fatimata Sanou Touré has been a Judge of the Mechanism since August 2021. In this capacity, she has adjudicated a variety of matters as a Single Judge and as a member of the Appeals Chamber.
Aside from her duties with the Mechanism, Judge Sanou Touré has been the ombudsperson of Burkina Faso since November 2021 and has served within the judiciary of Burkina Faso for many years. In 2024, she was appointed as a member of the Constitutional Council of Burkina Faso for a nine-year term. Previously, she served as President of the Criminal Chamber at the Court of Appeal of Ouagadougou (2015-2021) and held different positions at the Court of First Instance of Ouagadougou, including as President (2012-2015), Senior Investigating Judge (2007-2012), and Investigating Judge (2002-2007). Earlier, Judge Sanou Touré was Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Ouagadougou (2001-2002) and the Court of First Instance of Ouahigouya (1999-2001).
In addition, Judge Sanou Touré was deputy rapporteur of the constitutional commission that edited the draft constitution of the Fifth Republic of Burkina Faso in 2017, and was involved in the redrafting of a new criminal code in 2018 and a new code on criminal procedure in 2019. She was also President of the Association of Female Jurists of Burkina Faso (2013-2017) and Vice-President of the Foundation for the Study and Promotion of Human Rights in Africa (2007-2020). Judge Sanou Touré has represented the African group on the Advisory Committee on Women of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (since 2019), as well as human rights organisations on the Economic and Social Council of Burkina Faso (2012-2021).
Judge Sanou Touré holds a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in law from the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (1995) and a judicial service diploma from the National School of Administration and the Judiciary, Ouagadougou (1999). She has been awarded three honorary distinctions of Burkina Faso: Knight of the Order of the Stallion (2015), Officer of the Order of the Stallion (2022), and Commander of the Order of the Stallion (2023). She is fluent in French and has working knowledge of English.