Request for Rehabilitation Denied for Man Executed by Guillotine in France 67 Years Ago

The highest court of appeal in France rejected on Tuesday, October 16, a request for rehabilitation from a man who was executed by guillotine in 1957 for the murder of a police officer. Gerard Fesch had asked French judicial authorities to restore his father's honor. However, the French Court of Cassation stated in its ruling that 'sufficient guarantees to prove remorse' had not been provided. This ruling is final. Gerard, the son of Jacques Fesch, has been seeking rehabilitation for his father for years, despite never having met him, arguing that accepting his request would not change the facts of the case or its outcome. In France, which abolished the death penalty in 1981, the law allows criminals to request 'rehabilitation' after serving their sentences. This right was expanded in 2020 to include the children of those executed. Gerard Fesch, now 69 years old and having recognized his father decades after his execution, expressed disappointment at the court's decision, stating, 'It is truly disappointing. 30 years of effort for nothing.' The family's lawyer also commented, 'The Court of Cassation missed an important opportunity to make a humane decision regarding the rights of any criminal, regardless of their crime, and the possibility of redressing and correcting the past.' The French Constitutional Court, the country's highest legal authority, rejected any request for Jacques Fesch's pardon in 2020, stating that individuals executed for crimes 'are unable to prove the legal conditions for returning to their former social status.' Following this ruling, the French Parliament passed a law that year allowing the children of executed individuals to make such requests on their behalf. Jacques Fesch was described in court documents as 'lazy, arrogant, and pretentious.' He turned to religion while awaiting execution and expressed such remorse that some French Catholics today believe he deserves forgiveness. He had extensive correspondence with a Catholic monk, and the texts of these letters gained popularity after his death. A private school in Normandy, northern France, has even been named after him. The French prosecution advised the Court of Cassation that there was no evidence to prove that Jacques Fesch had compensated or corrected his error towards society and the victim before his death. Guillotine executions were a legal and conventional method of carrying out the death penalty from the French Revolution in 1789 until the last execution by this means in 1977.