How France Abandoned the Guillotine and the Death Penalty in 1981
France's law abolishing the death penalty took effect on 9 October 1981. It was driven by President François Mitterrand and Justice Minister Robert Badinter, even though most of the public did not support abolition at the time.
A law abolishing the death penalty took effect in France on 9 October 1981, ending the use of the guillotine. It was signed by Socialist politician François Mitterrand, who had become president earlier that year. The decision was driven largely by Justice Minister Badinter, who died in 2024. France was the last country in the world to carry out executions by beheading.
An election promise
On 10 May 1981, Mitterrand won the second round of the presidential election with more than 51.7% of the vote, defeating the incumbent, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The Socialist programme, titled "110 Propositions for France", included abolishing capital punishment. The pledge was delivered quickly, with support secured in both the government and the National Assembly. This happened even though more than two thirds of the public at the time did not consider abolition necessary.
Courts were still handing down death sentences, but appeals and other legal procedures usually delayed their execution. The last person put to death in France was Hamida Djandoubi, guillotined on 10 September 1977; he had tortured and raped a 21-year-old woman.
Badinter's role
Badinter was born in Paris in 1928 to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants. He became a lawyer, an advocate and an influential politician. His turning point came in November 1972, when he witnessed the execution of his client Roger Bontems. Bontems had been convicted of involvement in a hostage-taking at a prison in which people died, but had been cleared of murder.
On 17 September 1981 Badinter gave a speech in the National Assembly that France 24 describes as a turning point in modern French history. He also introduced reforms to improve prisoners' conditions and proposed alternative penalties, such as day fines and community service.
History of the guillotine
The guillotine was introduced more than 190 years ago as a more humane tool to replace torture and hanging. Thousands of people were executed with it, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The last public execution took place in 1939.
