Amazingly, the 30-year anniversary of the last execution in France has gone unnoticed on Le Monde's website this morning, but is mentioned at Jurist. Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant convicted of murder was, on Sept. 10, 1977, the last person to be guillotined (note that guillotine is one of the rare French nouns that can also be used as a verb, though I've only heard it used in the past tense, guillotiné). The photo at right is of the last public execution in France (1939). The death penalty was abolished in France in 1981.
30 years sans guillotine
Amazingly, the 30-year anniversary of the last execution in France has gone unnoticed on Le Monde's website this morning, but is mentioned at Jurist. Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant convicted of murder was, on Sept. 10, 1977, the last person to be guillotined (note that guillotine is one of the rare French nouns that can also be used as a verb, though I've only heard it used in the past tense, guillotiné). The photo at right is of the last public execution in France (1939). The death penalty was abolished in France in 1981.
