A revealing look at the enigmatic life of Jacques Vergès
By Dana Thomas
Newsweek International
June 11, 2007 issue - On Sept. 30, 1956, a beautiful young Algerian revolutionary named Djamila Bouhired planted a bomb in an Algiers bar that killed 17 people. The bombing was the turning point in Algeria's fight for independence from France. Bouhired was arrested, tried in court, found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to death. Then a young French lawyer named Jacques Vergès who supported Bouhired's anticolonial cause took on her case. Through a relentless press campaign in France and wily legal moves in Algeria, Vergès managed to get Bouhired pardoned and released. She went on to become the emblem of Algeria's successful fight for independence—the French withdrew in 1962—as well as Vergès's wife and the springboard for his career as the defender of terrorists and despots.
Director Barbet Schroeder explores the enigmatic Vergès in "Terror's Advocate," a clear-eyed documentary that debuted to raves in Cannes last month and hits French movie theaters this week. Schroeder has a history of examining the ethos of "monsters," as he calls them: in 1974 he directed a riveting documentary on Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and in 1990 he was nominated for the best director Oscar for "Reversal of Fortune," about the British socialite, Claus von Bülow, accused of murdering his wife, Sunny. But Vergès intrigued Schroeder more than he could have imagined. "I couldn't wait to get to the editing room every morning," Schroeder told NEWSWEEK in Cannes. "It was like a page-turning spy novel spread over eight months."
At first, Schroeder says, Vergès's motives for defending terrorists had merit: he truly believed in the anticolonial fight. Then one day in 1970, Vergès disappeared without warning or apparent reason. He remained silent and unseen for eight years.
Vergès himself has implied that he spent much of that time holed up in Cambodia, protected by his college friend Pol Pot. During two years of research, however, Schroeder found evidence that Vergès remained in Europe and may have been involved in covert government activities. While Vergès was in hiding, terrorism exploded: among other things, Palestinian militants massacred 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics and a terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal waged bombing campaigns in Paris. As Schroeder discovered, many of the seemingly independent players in terrorist activities were actually linked. And when Vergès reappeared in 1978, many of them turned to him for counsel. "His client list reads like a Who's Who of terrorism," Schroeder says.
Schroeder, 65, made the film with Vergès's cooperation—"He was very enthusiastic," the director says—and some of the most revealing passages are of Vergès pontificating about his career in his grand Parisian law office. Through a mix of interviews and news clips, Schroeder shows how Vergès's motivations appeared to shift over time. "He lost his illusions of changing the world," Schroeder says. "Now he likes to create disorder. He's a troublemaker. And I think he enjoys it." Schroeder points to classified Stasi documents showing that Vergès may have been involved in organizing terrorist campaigns, including the Entebbe hijackings. "Betrayal is a recurring theme of his life," Schroeder says. That's no doubt a charge that Vergès would defend.
Director Barbet Schroeder explores the enigmatic Vergès in "Terror's Advocate," a clear-eyed documentary that debuted to raves in Cannes last month and hits French movie theaters this week. Schroeder has a history of examining the ethos of "monsters," as he calls them: in 1974 he directed a riveting documentary on Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and in 1990 he was nominated for the best director Oscar for "Reversal of Fortune," about the British socialite, Claus von Bülow, accused of murdering his wife, Sunny. But Vergès intrigued Schroeder more than he could have imagined. "I couldn't wait to get to the editing room every morning," Schroeder told NEWSWEEK in Cannes. "It was like a page-turning spy novel spread over eight months."
At first, Schroeder says, Vergès's motives for defending terrorists had merit: he truly believed in the anticolonial fight. Then one day in 1970, Vergès disappeared without warning or apparent reason. He remained silent and unseen for eight years.
Vergès himself has implied that he spent much of that time holed up in Cambodia, protected by his college friend Pol Pot. During two years of research, however, Schroeder found evidence that Vergès remained in Europe and may have been involved in covert government activities. While Vergès was in hiding, terrorism exploded: among other things, Palestinian militants massacred 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics and a terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal waged bombing campaigns in Paris. As Schroeder discovered, many of the seemingly independent players in terrorist activities were actually linked. And when Vergès reappeared in 1978, many of them turned to him for counsel. "His client list reads like a Who's Who of terrorism," Schroeder says.
Schroeder, 65, made the film with Vergès's cooperation—"He was very enthusiastic," the director says—and some of the most revealing passages are of Vergès pontificating about his career in his grand Parisian law office. Through a mix of interviews and news clips, Schroeder shows how Vergès's motivations appeared to shift over time. "He lost his illusions of changing the world," Schroeder says. "Now he likes to create disorder. He's a troublemaker. And I think he enjoys it." Schroeder points to classified Stasi documents showing that Vergès may have been involved in organizing terrorist campaigns, including the Entebbe hijackings. "Betrayal is a recurring theme of his life," Schroeder says. That's no doubt a charge that Vergès would defend.
4 comments:
I guess it took French lawyer to
defeat a French system here, but
what about International tribunal,
will he be as effective?
Anyone know Jacques' record in
International tribunal?
Damn, this lawyer got quite an
impressive background. Check it
out guys. I wonder what will be
his angle to bail the accused out
of trouble? Here's a brief, but
it's better to go to the given link
below for more details:
"Born in Thailand and brought up on the island of Réunion, he is the son of Raymond Vergès, a French diplomat, and a Vietnamese woman. He joined the Communist Party on Reunion and in 1942 he became part of the Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle. After the war, while his brother Paul was imprisoned for murdering a political rival to their father, Jacques went to the University of Paris to study law. In 1949 he became president of the AEC (Association for Colonial Students), where he met and befriended Pol Pot[citation needed]. In 1950 at the request of his Communist mentors he went to Prague to lead a youth organization for four years."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Verg%C3%A8s
And the verdic is, "NOT GUITY."
Muah hahaha ... !!!
PS: I just realized that he might
be too old (82), he was born in 1925. I hope he got good
assistances behind him.
Vergès in hiding,terrorisme exploded.His appearence kept terrorisme at bay : if ever he
come to Phnom Penh again don't let
him get out of Cambodia.
Post a Comment