Animals to argue in court
Sometimes, life can be really funny. While half the world mourns the inability of their respective legal systems to represent human beings and get adequate justice, the swiss are going much much farther than just human beings. Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers across the country to represent animals in court.
Supporters of the initiative say such lawyers would help deter cases of animal cruelty and neglect, by making sure that those who did abuse or neglect animals would be properly punished.
Opponents however claim that Switzerland, which already has strict animal protection laws, does not need any more legislation.
The canton of Zurich has in fact had its own animal lawyer for a number of years; the current incumbent, Antoine Goetschel, is the only state-funded lawyer in Switzerland who goes to court to speak on behalf of animals.
