[Source]
French Lawyer Says He Will Defend Saddam
PARIS - A French lawyer, known for defending terrorists and a Nazi leader, said Saturday he will defend Saddam Hussein.
Jacques Verges told France-Inter radio he had received a letter from Saddam's family requesting him to defend the former Iraqi leader in court. U.S. officials have said they will bring Saddam to trial for alleged crimes against Iraqi people. But the location of any trial and its format and date have not yet been decided.
The letter from Saddam's family read: "In my capacity as nephew of President Saddam Hussein, I commission you officially by this letter to assure the defense of my uncle," Verges said. He did not name the person who sent the letter.
Saddam is being held by U.S. forces at an undisclosed location.
Verges has defended Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez. He gained international notoriety during the Cold War for staging a string of deadly bombings, assassinations and hostage seizures.
The French lawyer also defended, Klaus Barbie, a Nazi Gestapo chief in France in World War II, who was convicted of crimes against humanity in Lyon, France.
I believe that this place has discussed this issue before, but I don't believe I've ever asked this question; however, it seems that there is general agreement that "evil" people, like Slobodan Milosevic, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein, amongst others, deserve to be "brought to justice," and, generally, we agree for that to mean to be brought to trial.
Of course, unless you wish to conduct a Stalinist puppet trial, which we also look down upon, a "trial," by nature, requires adequate representation and the *possibility* that the defendant may not be found guilty. So, thus, why do people get mad when high profile lawyers, like the above, take on the world's most reprehensible people? After all, at least you can say that he will put up a good fight, and, thus, when a guilty verdict does come in, it will not be due to a puppet trial. Plus, at least in the U.S., having inadequate representation will often get a trial thrown out!
Thus, it is my view that, while it may seem incomprehensible to want to defend "evil" individuals, like Saddam, it is absolutely imperative for justice to be served. After all, the evidence is what should determine their fates, and, after all, the evidence is overwhelming...correct?
Melon