Estudiante

Baltasar Garzón Real born 26 October 1955) is a Spanish jurist.


as the examining magistrate of the Juzgado Central de Instrucción No. 5, which investigates the most important criminal cases inSpain, including terrorism, organised crime, and money laundering. Garzón was suspended in 2010 after first being indicted in the Franco case. He then took a six-month job in The Hague at theinternational criminal court as an adviser to its chief prosecutor. He later accepted a position as a human rights adviser to the government of Colombia, which is fighting leftist rebels and powerful druglords. He is currently head of Julian Assange's legal team.


GARZON'S SUCCESSES


■ In the early 1990s, Garzón investigated death squads organised by the Socialist government in the 1980s to fightBasque separatists. Former interior minister José Barrionuevo was jailed for 10 years over his involvement, but later pardoned.


Garzón came to international attention on 10 October 1998 when heissued an international warrant for the arrest of former Chilean President, General Augusto Pinochet, for the alleged deaths and torture of Spanish citizens. Although the British government refused toextradite Pinochet,[1] it was the first time that a former government head was arrested on the principle of universal jurisdiction.[2]

■ In 2003, he produced an indictment calling for the arrest ofsuspected terrorists including Osama bin Laden. Eighteen people tried in Madrid were found guilty of being in al-Qaida


■ In 2005, in the first successful use of Spain's laws permittingprosecution for crimes committed in another country, he brought Argentinian ex-naval officer Adolfo Scilingo to trial for crimes against humanity. Scilingo was convicted and jailed for 640 years.


■ InOctober 2008, he launched an inquiry into "crimes against humanity" committed during the Franco era. As part of the investigation Garzon ordered the excavation of mass graves.


The move provoked...