Barbie Trial
From the very beginning, the foundation of lawyer Jacques Verges’ defense of Klaus Barbie at the war crimes trial in France was the distorted concept of justice that the human race’s inability and failure to punish each and every wrongdoer should be the ground for Barbie’s acquittal.
Simply put, Verges wants us to accept the notion that if we cannot punish all wrongdoers, we cannot punish any wrongdoer. Verges’ fallacious reasoning is self-evident from his statement, “Why should there be a trial of France and only France?”
It is indeed a lamentable fact that not all Barbie-like criminals, whether they be persons or countries, have been tried and punished in some form or the other. It is a harsh reality of the imperfect world that we live in. However, Verges’ crusade against such imperfection should never be the ground of Barbie’s acquittal.
Verges must realize that Barbie’s acquittal would result in injustice, which is more evil than imperfection.
JAMES Y. SONG
Los Angeles
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