The guillotine was still in official use in France when Star Wars was released in 1977; the last execution by guillotine occurred in 1977, abolished in 1981.
Sources
- https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-10/the-guillotine-falls-silent (history.com)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamida_Djandoubi (en.wikipedia.org)
- https://allthatsinteresting.com/hamida-djandoubi-eugen-weidmann (allthatsinteresting.com)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_France (en.wikipedia.org)
- https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/human-rights/death-penalty/ (diplomatie.gouv.fr)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(film) (en.wikipedia.org)
- https://www.euronews.com/2017/09/11/frances-final-guillotine-40-years-since-the-end-of-the-death-penalty (euronews.com)
- https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/the-ministry-in-action/action-for-peace-and-respect-for-human-rights/promoting-human-rights/abolition-of-the-death-penalty (diplomatie.gouv.fr)