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Did you know that Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), one of the leaders of the French Revolution of 1789 and the man personally responsible for the terror that unfolded in the country, vehemently advocated for the abolition of the death penalty just a few years earlier? Robespierre, who was orphaned at a young age, graduated from the law faculty of the Sorbonne, worked hard, and achieved great success in the legal field. In 1782, he was even appointed a judge in criminal cases, but Robespierre refused the position because he could not bear to pronounce death sentences – after all, the death penalty is a "vile murder, a solemnly staged and legalized crime committed not by individuals, but by entire peoples" (from his speech in 1791). He continued to practice as a lawyer, but tried to choose clients whose innocence he was sure of, presumably to avoid the risk of hearing a death sentence.

But by 1792, Robespierre had effectively become the head of the Committee of Public Safety, from which decrees for numerous executions emanated. In December 1792, Louis XVI was executed – Robespierre justified the need for this execution by arguing that if the life of one person must be sacrificed for the revolution, it must be done. And that person was the king. After that, Robespierre seemed to get a taste for it – his former allies, his best friend, and many other people were sent to the guillotine. For example, from June 20 to July 27, 1794, 1366 people were executed in Paris. The "opponent of the death penalty" himself ended his life on the guillotine on July 28, 1794.
Sources: Wikipedia (Maximilien Robespierre).