Robert Badinter, a former French justice minister, passed away on Friday at the age of 95, according to dpa, the Constitutional Council he chaired for nine years, and his publishing house Fayard.

Calling him a “figure of the century, a republican conscience, the French spirit,” French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the lawyer, author, and politician in a post on X, the platform that was formerly known as Twitter.

“He was the voice of justice throughout his life,” stated French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

In1981, Badinter played a key role in France’s decision to abolish the death penalty. “His lasting contribution to France will always be the repeal of the death penalty. He is sorely missed,” Attal remarked.

In Paris, Badinter was born on March to a Jewish family.On March 30, 1928, Badinter was born in Paris into a Jewish family. He and his family used fake identity documents to live in the country during the Nazi occupation of France. Badinter worked as a lawyer and studied law after the war.