French lawyer Jacques Verges has defended some of the world's most notorious figures, including Carlos the Jackal (AFP/ECCC, Mark Peters)
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Posted by Serath
PHNOM PENH, Nov 26 (Cambodia Herald) - Jacques Verges, the 86-year-old French lawyer defending his long-time friend, former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan, may have lived in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period between 1975 and 1979, the French news agency reported.
In a report from Bangkok Friday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) recalled that Verges was born in Thailand to a father from Reunion island and a Vietnamese mother in 1925 and was a communist as a student, later supporting the Algerian National Liberation Front in its fight for independence from France.
After securing the release of Algerian anti-colonialist militant Djamila Bouhired, he married her and went on to become a high-flying lawyer, making headlines around the world defending some of the most infamous names of modern times.
Clients have ranged from Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Venezuelan revolutionary Carlos the Jackal to former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
While his life story reads like a novel, "there is one chapter that he prefers to leave unopened: from 1970 until 1978, when he left his wife and children and disappeared," the report said, adding that Verges had referred to this period as "the dark side" of his life, leading to much speculation about these missing years.
"Among the more persistent theories are suggestions that he fostered ties with Palestinian militants, that he passed through Congo -- or that he lived in Khmer Rouge Cambodia," it said.
In the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders which opened this week, Verges delivered a short speech in defense of Khieu Samphan, the 80-year-old former head of state under the Khmer Rouge. Also on trial is Nuon Chea, the former deputy to Pol Pot who was known as Brother Number Two, and former foreign minister Ieng Sary.
All three face several charges including crimes against humanity and genocide during the Khmer Rouge regime which left about 2 million people dead.
Posted by Serath
PHNOM PENH, Nov 26 (Cambodia Herald) - Jacques Verges, the 86-year-old French lawyer defending his long-time friend, former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan, may have lived in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period between 1975 and 1979, the French news agency reported.
In a report from Bangkok Friday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) recalled that Verges was born in Thailand to a father from Reunion island and a Vietnamese mother in 1925 and was a communist as a student, later supporting the Algerian National Liberation Front in its fight for independence from France.
After securing the release of Algerian anti-colonialist militant Djamila Bouhired, he married her and went on to become a high-flying lawyer, making headlines around the world defending some of the most infamous names of modern times.
Clients have ranged from Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Venezuelan revolutionary Carlos the Jackal to former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
While his life story reads like a novel, "there is one chapter that he prefers to leave unopened: from 1970 until 1978, when he left his wife and children and disappeared," the report said, adding that Verges had referred to this period as "the dark side" of his life, leading to much speculation about these missing years.
"Among the more persistent theories are suggestions that he fostered ties with Palestinian militants, that he passed through Congo -- or that he lived in Khmer Rouge Cambodia," it said.
In the trial of Khmer Rouge leaders which opened this week, Verges delivered a short speech in defense of Khieu Samphan, the 80-year-old former head of state under the Khmer Rouge. Also on trial is Nuon Chea, the former deputy to Pol Pot who was known as Brother Number Two, and former foreign minister Ieng Sary.
All three face several charges including crimes against humanity and genocide during the Khmer Rouge regime which left about 2 million people dead.
7 comments:
iT'S INTRESTING TO KNOW THE BIOGRARPHY or bacground of this lawyer.
As a lawyer he must defend his client according to the law. And the law requests that both defendant and the complaignant have the same right aS to be defended by their lawyers.
It's the law. And it's the court that makes decision.
Great! Now we will never know the vietnamese dirty tricks and involvements in cambodia before, during and after the khmer rouge regime. The lawyer is half viet.
It's doesn't matter he is Half Viet or Half whatsoever. Your view is out of date.
is it conflict of interest? if he were in the regime what was his roles? I wonder if these took advise from him during the dark age.
Half Viet is always better than half of shit.
We, Cambodian, are the best, we built AnkorWat.
9:55 pm my view is out of date for concerning that the half viet lawyer will mater greatly in regards to the khmer rouge trial because viet have never lost an ounce of land to cambodia. The problem of viet encroaching into khmer territories, land, sea and sky continue to happen to the present time. I would rather have a lawyer who is have monkey than half viet. At least monkey never kill innocent khmer nor take khmer land. No conflict of interest with monkey. I hope your up to date mind can comprehend the monkey justice system in cambodia as well. I would not blame you for being ignorance if you decide to believe that viet are fair with cambodian and never want to take khmer land, I will just assume that your up to date mind is just plain stupid. The kind of stupidity that you inherited in your gene. Good luck with your up to date mind.
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