What law of September 1793 defined suspected enemies of the Revolution?

The law of September 1793 that defined suspected enemies of the Revolution was the Law of Suspects.

The National Convention passed the decree on 17 September 1793, during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. It ordered the arrest of people considered enemies of liberty, including émigrés, former nobles who had not demonstrated revolutionary loyalty, dismissed officials, suspected traitors, and people unable to prove their civic credentials.

The measure widened the meaning of “suspect” far beyond someone accused of a specific crime. Revolutionary surveillance committees, rather than ordinary courts alone, helped compile lists and issue arrest warrants. In practice, people could be detained on the basis of political reputation, associations, words, or perceived disloyalty.

Although commonly called a law, it was technically a decree. It is also easily confused with the Law of 22 Prairial, which later restricted trials during the Terror, or the Law of the Maximum, which regulated prices. The Law of Suspects fell into disuse after the fall of Robespierre in July 1794.