Europe's last female executions (2024)

Last female executions in Europe.

Withspecial thanks to Christian Schrepper for his invaluable help in compiling thisarticle and to the several kind people who have sent me further information.

Austria.

The lastwoman sentenced to death by an ordinary court was Juliane Hummel. She was polehanged for the murder of her five year old daughter, Anna, on the 2nd ofJanuary 1900 at Vienna.There were about 100 women executed by German executioners in Viennaand Graz between1938 and 1945, but it is not known who the last one was. It is thought that thelast woman to die for murder after a normal jury trial was Martha Lowenstein Marek. She was guillotined by the Bavarian Stateexecutioner, Johann Reichhart, in Viennaon the 6th of December 1938, for the poisoning of her husband, their babydaughter, an elderly relative, whose money and house she inherited, and finallya lodger in her house. No further female executions werecarried out after 1945, although several women were sentenced to death.

Belgium.

The last women executed in Belgium was 45 year old Florentine Giralt,who had been sentenced to death by a military tribunal for denouncing Belgianagents to the Nazis during World War II. She was executed by firing squad in Brussels on the 4th of June 1949,together with six men.Click herefor photo.

The last woman sentenced to death by an ordinary court wasEuphrasie-Félicie Deroux, for the murder of her child at the Cour d'assises ofthe province of Hainaut. She was guillotined at Mons on the 22nd of June 1846.

Bulgaria.

Elina Zlatanova was executed by a singleshot to the head on March 8th 1988 in the town cemeteryof Sliven in Southeast Bulgaria. She had beenconvicted of the murders of her two sons, Elin and Neven. She had doused her apartment with fuel andset it on fire. Infant Elin was asphyxiated in his crib, while Nevin tried toescape so Elina Elina stabbed him with a kitchen knife. Her intention, apparently, was to also perishin the fire, but when the flames got too close, she got out of the blazingapartment. Her motive appears to be toget back at her husband for his perceived maltreatment of her.

Czechoslovakia.

Olga Hepnarova,aged 23, was hanged on March 12th, 1975 in Prague’sPankrác prison for murdering eight complete strangers at a tram stop by runningthem over with a truck in 1973 as an act of revenge against the world. The short drop gallows on which she suffered is preserved in Pankrác prison. Click here forphoto.

Denmark.

The lastofficial execution was conductedin Copenhagenon ”Rødovre Mark” when Ane Cathrine Andersdatter was beheaded by axe on the 21stof December 1861. She had been sentenced to death for the murder of three ofher five children.

England.

Ruth Ellis was hangedby Albert Pierrepoint at Holloway prison in North Londonon Wednesday, the 13th of July, 1955 for the murder of her boyfriend DavidBlakely, who had refused to see her over the Easter of 1955. She lay in waitfor him outside the Magdala pub and when he came out, shot him five times witha revolver. She was arrested immediately by an off-duty policeman. Herexecution caused a great deal of public controversy at the time.

Finland.

MarttaKoskinen, was executed by firing squad on an unspecified date in 1943 forespionage and high treason.

Probably the last woman executed after conviction by a civil court wasLena Greta Nystedt, sentenced to death for murder and beheaded by axe at Helsinki on the 20th of April 1819. Shewas definitely the last person executed at Helsinki.

Italy.

The last woman executed in Italywas probably Laura D'Oriano, (age 30) who was sentenced to death for espionagefor the Allies by the TSDS (special court for the defence of the state) andexecuted by shooting at Forte Bravetta in Romeon the 16th of January 1943. The lastfemale execution for murder was that of Columba Dagrumo who was shot by firingsquad together with her male co-defendant on the 21st of January 1939 in Trani,for kidnapping and murdering a five year old girl.

Liechtenstein.

The last person executed in Liechtenstein was a woman. 42 yearold Barbara Erni was convicted of theft from 17 inns in Vaduzand was beheaded by sword at Güdigen, in the municipality of Eschen,on the 26th of February 1785.

Luxembourg.

The last female execution here was of Françoise Valjan, who had beensentenced to death for murder by the Cour d'assises of the Département desForêts. She was guillotined on the 3rd of December 1806.

Malta.

No woman was executed in Maltain either the 19th or the 20th century.

Netherlands.

The last woman executed in Hollandwas Ans van Dijk, a 42 year old Jewish woman who was sentenced to death by theBijzondere Gerechtshof (special court) for having betrayed about 100 Jews. She was shot at Fort Bijlmeron the 14th of January 1948.

The last woman executed after having been sentenced to death by anordinary court was Sara Janse Geldof, who was garroted at Middelburg on the 24th of September 1838.Male criminals were hanged at this time. Sara hadkilled a thirteen-year-old girl to rob her golden finery on her bonnet.

Norway.

Sophie Johannesdatter was beheaded by axe on the 18thof February 1876 on the Porsnesløkken near Halden for having poisoned threepersons of her employer’s family to conceal a theft. Click here forphoto.

Poland.

The last confirmed female execution in Poland was that of 44 year old HalinaŻurowska for espionage (probably the last woman executed in Poland). She was a soldier in the AK (Home Army). Shewas sentenced during the Stalinist period in Poland. She was executed by a single shot to the backof the head on September 21st, 1949 in Rakowiecka Street 37 Prison in Mokotów, Warsaw. The communistauthorities refused to release the body to family and her burial place to thisday not been found. At least four and asmany as twenty women were executed in Stalinist period 1945 - 1949, mostly fortreason and espionage. Their convictions were politically motivated.

The last woman executed in

Poland

for war crimes was 46 year old Elizabeth Lupka who had worked in the KZRavensbrück and KZ Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camps. She was hanged onJanuary 8th, 1949 at 7.05 a.m. in the Montelupich Street 7 Prison in Krakow. Her body was taken to the MedicalSchool at the University of Krakowfor use as an anatomical specimen by the students.

The last known woman executed in

Poland for ordinary crimes was 40year old Józefina Paśnik. She was accused of complicity in the murder ofleast seven women with her serial killer husband 37 year old SzczepanPaśnik in Warsawarea in the early 1922. They were convicted of only one murder and bothexecuted by firing squad on the slope of the Citadel of Warsaw on April 7th,1922 at 6.00 a.m. They were buried in an unmarked grave under the wall of the Citadel,where authorities buried all executed prisoners.

Portugal.

The last woman executed in Portugal was 22 year old Luiza de Jesus,executed at Coimbra on the 1st of July 1772. She was a “baby farmer” whocollected unwanted children from a charity for which she received money. She confessed to killing 28 infants, althoughit is thought that she murdered 33 in total. She was paraded through thestreets and then garroted and her body burned.

Romania.

OnChristmas day 1989, Romania’sformer president, Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena, were shot by firingsquad in Targoviste. They were convicted of genocide, undermining the nationaleconomy and other offences. Click here for photo.

Russia.

The last confirmed female execution inSoviet Russia was that of Bella "Iron Bella" Borodkina. BellaBorodkina had risen from a waitress to become head of the food department inhealth-resort town Gelendzhik. She was accused of corruption and bribery (est.more than 1 million roubles, 850000 in pounds of 1982 ). She was part of alarger criminal ring, but the only one to be executed, in August 1985.
The last woman executed in the USSRwas 45 year old Tamara Ivanyutina, who over a period of more than 10 yearspoisoned dozens victims with help her parents and older sister. Personally shewas accused in 9 murders, including 2 children, and 20 attempts of homicide.She was executed in Kiev,Soviet Ukraine, after 1987. Altogetherthe family was responsible for 40 attempts of poisoning and 13 homicides. Herolder sister got 15 years in prison, her father 11, her mother 13 years inprison (both died in jail).

Antonina Makarova was the last femaleexecuted for war crimes. Makarova was 19years old when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Unionduring Operation Barbarossa in 1941. She volunteered for the front as a machinegunner but when the Nazis swept through and destroyed her unit she wanderedbehind German lines until the SS arrested her and offered her food and shelterin return for her services as an executioner.She is thought to have executed at least 1,500 people, usually inbatches of 27, as this was the capacity of the local prison. She machine gunned them as they stood in arow on the edge of the open burial pit.After the war she was able to escape but was finally caught by the KGB -by now a respectable 55 year old woman living with her husband and going by thename Antonina Ginsberg. She wasarrested in Bellarus in the summer of 1978 after 33 years of intensiveresearch. She was sentenced death on the 20th of November 1978 in Bryansk, where she wasexecuted by shooting on the 11 of August 1979. Click here for photo

Scotland.

Susan Newell, aged30,was hangedby John Ellis at

Duke Street

prison, Glasgowon Wednesday, the 10th of October, 1923. She strangled newspaper boy JohnJohnston who would not give her an evening paper without the money. Havingkilled the boy, she wheeled his body through the streets on a handcartaccompanied by her eight year old daughter, Janet, whose evidence helped toconvict her.

Spain.

The lastfemale execution (by garrotte) took place on the 19th of May 1959, that of 28year old Pilar Prades Expósito Santamaria, who was put to death in Valencia forthe murder by poisoning, of her employer, Doña Adela Pascual Camps, on the 18thof May 1955. She was executed by Snr. A.López Guerra. Click here for photo.

Sweden.

48 yearold Anna Månsdotter was beheaded in Kristianstad, southern Sweden on the 7th of August 1890. InAnna's case, the blade of the axe passed through her lower jaw which was leftattached to her neck afterwards. She was the last woman to be executed in Sweden and hadbeen convicted of strangling her daughter in law, Hanna Johansdotter. Anna washaving an incestuous relationship with her son, Per, who also received thedeath sentence for his part in the crime, which was later commuted to life inprison. Click herefor photo.

Switzerland.

The last woman executed in Switzerlandwas Geneviève Guénat, who was beheaded by sword for murder at Delsberg, in thecanton of Bern,on the 7th of September 1861.

Ukraine.
45 year old Tamara Ivanyutina was the last woman executed in the Ukraine. Shewas a dishwasher from a Kiev school in the Ukraine who poisoned students and schoolemployees with Thallium from the mid 1970’s to late 1980’s. She was shot on the 6th of December 1990 in Kyiv’sLukyanovsky detention center.

Wales.

Rhoda Willis, alsoknown as Leslie James, was hanged by Henry and Tom Pierrepoint at Cardiff prison on Wednesday, the 14th of August, 1907.Willis, 44, was a baby farmer and was executed for the murder of a one day oldgirl child by the surname of Treasure. She was the last woman to be hanged forbaby farming and the last in Wales.

Yugoslavia.

The last woman executed here was Visnja Pavlovic, who was shot formurder at Sarajevo(Bosnia Herzegovina) on the 26th of November 1973.

There is, unfortunately, no information about female executions in Cyprus, Albaniaor Monaco.

Should you have any information on the executions of women in thesecountries, I would be very grateful to receive it.

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