No Lawyers for Swiss Animals

Posted on Mar 7, 2010

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How can you say no to this face?: Animals in Switzerland are afforded many rights, though the right to an attorney is not one of them.

In a referendum in which 70 percent voted “no,” the people of Switzerland have decided against a proposed law that would have assigned lawyers to defend animals in court. In its defense, Switzerland already has comprehensive animal rights laws, though many feel the vote was a cat-astrophe.

The referendum was a result of a petition to expand a regional animal abuse law in Zurich that grants animals the right to be represented in court by an attorney. —JCL

ABC News:

Switzerland has voted against assigning lawyers to defend animals in court cases.

The Swiss Animal Protection Group says unlike humans, animals have no rights and cannot prosecute people who cause them harm.

The group initiated a Swiss referendum on whether a law in the Zurich region - which requires lawyers be named for animals during court cases - be extended to the rest of the country.

But 70 per cent of voters have defeated the idea.

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