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  1. Martin Antonenko A Fixture

    Country:
    Germany
    Philippe Maurice and the death penalty


    In May 1979, the "Santé" prison in Parisin carcerated escapes ...

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    ... Philippe Maurice, imprisoned for five years for various car thefts and counterfeiting, during a release.

    Together with an accomplice, he then carried out two bank robberies.

    In an attempted car theft on December 7th in Paris, the two are surprised by the police; Maurice ’accomplice kills a policeman and injures another.

    On the run, they run into a police check with the stolen vehicle.

    Philippe Maurice immediately opens fire, a projectile from his weapon kills an officer. His accomplice, who shoots another policeman, is immediately fatally hit by a police bullet.

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    Maurice, who was injured in the exchange of fire, was able to escape, but was tracked down, arrested the following day and brought to justice ...:

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    On October 28, 1980, the competent jury in Paris sentenced Philippe Maurice to guillotine death ...:

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    He tries to escape again, but fails.

    To avoid the guillotine, Maurice files a revision request. This application is rejected by the top French face on March 19, 1981 in the last instance ...:

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    From now on the murderer lives on borrowed time!

    His very last chance is a pardon to the President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing ...:

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    At the time, the presidential election campaign in France is in its hot phase and the (promising) candidate of the socialists, François Mitterrand ...

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    ... has already declared several times during the election campaign that he would be one of the first of his official acts to abolish the death penalty in France!

    Right-wing presidents like Jacques Chirac (nicknamed "Bulldozer") or Nicolas Sarkozy would have whistled about the election campaign (and the imminent end of their term in office) and probably had Maurice executed.

    However, Giscard d'Estaing decides to leave the pardon to his successor unanswered!

    Mitterrand is elected President on May 10, 1981 ...

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    ... and takes office on May 21st ...:

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    Just four days later, he converted Philippe Maurice's death sentence into life imprisonment.

    Philippe Maurice is the last person to be sentenced to death in France. His pardon was the last presidential pardon for a death row inmate in French history.

    On September 18, 1981, the National Assembly resolved to abolish the death penalty, and the Senate joined on September 30. The law was promulgated on October 9th and came into effect the following day.

    In the almost twelve months between Maurice ’s conviction and the final abolition of the death penalty, French courts still passed death sentences against eight other people in the first instance, but none of them became final through confirmation in the last court instance.

    Seven of the convicts benefited from the automatic commutation to life imprisonment enshrined in the law of October 9, 1981;

    Former car thief, counterfeiter and police murderer Philippe Maurice ...

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    ... went through an amazing change in prison ...:

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    He began distance learning in medieval history, passed the baccalaureate and in 1989 wrote a thesis that was so good that it was published by the Société des lettres sciences et arts de la Lozère.

    In 1995 the University of Tours awarded him a doctorate.

    He was paroled in March 2000 and has been working as a research assistant and lecturer at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) since 2002.

    He wrote about 20 scientific essays and several books on medieval history ...

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    ... including an extensive monograph on William "the Conqueror", which is now considered a standard work!

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    In 2001 he published the book "De la haine à la vie" ("From hate to life"), in which he describes his experiences in prison ...:

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    Maurice is committed to the worldwide abolition of the death penalty and fundamental reforms in the prison system.

    He participated as a speaker at the 1st World Congress against the Death Penalty in 2001 in Strasbourg and at the 2nd World Congress against the death penalty in Montréal in 2004 ...:

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    Nap likes this.
  2. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Martin

    Goodness he certainly turned his life around from murderer to respected writer

    Wonder what went through his head after the initial death sentence !

    Thanks again

    Nap
  3. Martin64 A Fixture

    Country:
    Germany
    I wonder what became of the families of his victims...
    Graham likes this.
  4. Airkid A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    Very interesting and informative as always Martin. Excellent photo back-up. A period when France was run by gentlemen.

    Phil
  5. Graham A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    Victims don’t seem to matter anymore, a sad reflection on society.
    Old Pete and Martin64 like this.

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