Terror's Advocate

Query: if I recommend a two-and-a-half-hour documentary in French about a lawyer, how many people will watch it? The advocate in the title means more than being someone's attorney. Rather, the film explores how Jacques Verges not only represented terrorists in court but may have also actually aided terrorists in their cause. Plus, his stances were not always consistent, as he defended leftists, dictators, rebels, and fascists; he defended terrorists of any stripe. Consider it the other side of the coin of "Munich." He's French and has practiced in Algeria, so I'm not sure what his legal ethical responsibilities were, but it's interesting to note the number of American legal ethics rules he violates -- having relations with a client, aiding crime, disrupting judicial proceedings, revealing confidential information he learned while representing clients. But he was effective, in his way: he claims he's had dozens of "clients, friends" sentenced to death, and none was executed.

Pol Pot (Saloth Sar) was his friend. He defended Djamila Bouhired of the FLN, members of the FPLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) who attacked an El Al plane in Greece, Moise Tshombe (said to be the presumed killer of Patrice Lumumba), Magdalena Kopp of Carlos the Jackal's terror group, Klaus "The Butcher of Lyon" Barbie. He's defended the despot of Gabon, and the dictators of Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Togo.

As you might be able to tell, there's a lot of name-dropping, and if you don't pay attention it can be hard to keep up. You look away for a second, and all of a sudden you're knee-deep in connections between Verges, Waddid Haddad, and Francois Genoud, or people are referencing the Setif massacre. There's a lot of history here, but it's worth knowing, or at least being introduced to.

It takes a lot for someone to say, "I was asked, 'Would you defend Hitler?' I said, 'I'd even defend Bush! But only if he agrees to plead guilty.'" Ne riez pas! C'est grave. By the end of the film, you've seen a glimpse of a fascinating man.