France's Last Guillotine

Witness History: Witness Archive 2017 - A podcast by BBC World Service

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The last man to be executed by guillotine in France was a disabled Tunisian murderer, Hamida Djandoubi. He was beheaded on September 10th 1977 at the Baumettes prison in Marseille. Ashley Byrne has spoken to the daughter of lawyer, Emile Pollak, who defended Hamida Djandoubi and who was present at his execution. The death penalty was outlawed in France in 1981.Photo: A man looks at a guillotine in an exhibition. Credit: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images.