Law of Suspects

French law

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July 14, 2026

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The Law of Suspects was a French law enacted during the Reign of Terror. It empowered revolutionary committees to arrest individuals who, through their actions, associations, or words, demonstrated themselves to be "partisans of tyranny or federalism and enemies of liberty". This law led to the detention of over 200,000 citizens between 1793 and 1794, though most did not face trial and many perished in prison. The law suspended suspects' rights to legal counsel and public trials, mandating execution for those found guilty. This period saw approximately 17,000 official death sentences, with many more killed without trial or dying in custody.12

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France
The Reign of Terror
The Law of Suspects empowered local revolutionary committees to arrest “those who by their conduct, relations or language spoken or written, have shown themselves partisans of tyranny or federalism and enemies of liberty.” In 1793–94 well over 200,000 citizens were detained under this law; though most…
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The Law of Suspects empowered local revolutionary committees to arrest “those who by their conduct, relations or language spoken or written, have shown themselves partisans of tyranny or federalism and enemies of liberty.” In 1793–94 well over 200,000 citizens were detained under this law; though most…
Read More