Antoine Goetschel
Antoine François Goetschel (born 1958) is a Swiss lawyer who has focused on animal rights law. In cases involving animal abuse, he was appointed to defend the rights of the animal in question. He played a prominent role lobbying for the unsuccessful March 2010 Swiss referendum which would have provided legal representation to all animals involved in Swiss court cases.
Animal rights[edit]
Goetschel became interested in animal rights at age 23 after an accident left him temporarily unable to speak. This experience caused him to reflect on animal suffering.[2] He later became a vegetarian and became active in the animal rights movement. He has played a prominent role in lobbying for Swiss animal rights legislation. Although not officially a representative of the campaign, he devoted much of his time to lobbying on behalf of the March 2010 Swiss animal law referendum.[2] Had it passed, it would have led to the Swiss government hiring other animal advocates in addition to Goetschel. He also lobbied on behalf of 2003 law which led to animals being treated as sentient beings, rather than property, in Swiss law.