Who is Robert Badinter, the late justice minister given France's highest honour?

Signs and a portrait of former French Justice Minister Robert Badinter are displayed during a rehearsal of his induction ceremony into the Pantheon, on the anniversary of the promulgation of the law abolishing the death penalty, which he authored, in Paris, France, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) -President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday inaugurate a cenotaph in memory of Robert Badinter at the Pantheon, a mausoleum in central Paris where some of France's most prominent national heroes are buried.

The former justice minister, who died in February 2024 aged 95, will join the likes of philosopher Voltaire, writer Victor Hugo and scientists Pierre and Marie Curie in the monument's vast, vaulted crypt, which has been used to host the remains of great figures since 1791.