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In France, the death penalty is:
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: abolished: it has not existed since 1981. In France, the death penalty is abolished. The law of 9 October 1981 ended it, and the Constitution says no one can be sentenced to death. Source: the Ministry of the Interior sheet “Focus sur la Vème République : l'abolition de la peine de mort” (in French).
Sources: Sheet “Focus sur la Vème République : l'abolition de la peine de mort” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✗ allowed for all crimesautorisée pour tous les crimesIt is completely abolished.
- ✗ allowed only for political crimesautorisée seulement pour les crimes politiquesIt is completely abolished, even for those crimes.
- ✗ allowed only after a public trialautorisée seulement en cas de procès publicIt is completely abolished, whatever the trial.
- ✓ abolished: it has not existed since 1981abolie : elle n'existe plus depuis 1981Correct answer. In France, the death penalty is abolished. The law of 9 October 1981 ended it, and the Constitution says no one can be sentenced to death.
What the source says
« En 1981, sous la Vème République, la peine de mort est totalement abolie. »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « En France, la peine de mort est : ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question is on the official list for the resident card (CR) and for the multi-year residence card (CSP). The Ministry's wording: “La peine de mort est :”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Focus sur la Vème République : l'abolition de la peine de mort” (French).
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