France’s Last Guillotine Execution Was in 1977
France last used the guillotine on September 10, 1977, when Hamida Djandoubi was executed in Marseille. His execution was the country’s last use of capital punishment—not the moment the guillotine immediately ceased to be its official method.
A Method Outlasted Its Use
The distinction is between practice and law. After 1977, France carried out no more executions, but capital punishment remained legal, with the guillotine still specified as the method. In 1981, France abolished the death penalty, ending the guillotine’s official role as well.
That gap meant the machine was legally retained even after it had disappeared from use. The last execution came four years before the law that made it impossible for another to take place.
