The 'Devil's advocate': French lawyer Jacques Verges' infamous clients

Jacques Verges made headlines around the world thanks to a client list that includes some of the most infamous names of modern times. Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie appeared in court in Lyon in 1987. Barbie was in charge of the Gestapo in Lyon in 1942-44 where he earned the title of "the Butcher of Lyon". Verges had a reputation for attacking the French political system, particularly in the historic French colonial empire. His strategy was to use the trial to expose war crimes committed by France since 1945. The prosecution dropped some of the charges against Barbie due to French legislation that had protected people accused of crimes under the Vichy regime and in French Algeria. Verges argued that Barbie's actions were no worse than the ordinary actions of colonialists worldwide, and that his trial was selective prosecution.Picture: Sipa Press / Rex Features