I stumbled upon an article about an interview with Jacques Vergès, an extraordinary individual who has defended war criminals of all sorts over his years. Now 83, he defends Khieu Samphan, the former head of state of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, who is on trial for war crimes.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,591943,00.html
Here are some quick excerpts:
Vergès: You know, it seems to be in fashion, using one’s own victimhood as justification for one’s actions. I abhor that! It is true that my father had to resign his position as consul in colonial Indochina because he married a Vietnamese woman. He then took us to Réunion, the French overseas region off the African coast, where he worked as a doctor. I am a creature of dual origins, but mine was no tortured existence. I was not born with anger in my belly. I just acquired that anger myself.
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Vergès: One of my principles is to have no principles. That’s why I would not turn down anyone.
SPIEGEL: Let’s say, Adolf Hitler…
Vergès: I would have defended Hitler. I would also accept Osama bin Laden as a client, even (US President) George W. Bush — as long as he pleads guilty.
SPIEGEL: You can’t seriously be mentioning Hitler, Bin Laden and Bush, and their failings, in the same breath.
Vergès: Every crime is unique, and so is every criminal. That alone makes such comparisons impossible.
Just…fascinating that someone could justify the horrid acts of terrorists, dictators, torture masters is beyond me.
