Robert Badinter was a great democrat, jurist and active promoter of human rights. Badinter's death occurs in the midst of the blurred regional order in force in Europe and globally.

He should serve as an example of how in fundamental legal and political institutions, certain leaderships that promote fundamental values can escape vicious circles of intolerance or closure. The death penalty, first, lacked the deterrent effect of possible future crimes, Badinter said. The guillotine as a method of execution was born with the French Revolution.