Baltasar Garzón
| Baltasar Garzón | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Investigating Magistrate of the Central Court of Criminal Proceedings Number 5 | |
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In office 1987 – 14 May 2011 |
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| Succeeded by | Fernando Pablo Ruz |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
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In office 1 July 1993 – 9 May 1994 |
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| Succeeded by | Rafael María García-Rico Fernández |
| Constituency | Madrid |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Baltasar Garzón Real 26 October 1955 Torres, Jaén, Andalusia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Spouse(s) | María del Rosario Molina Serrano |
| Alma mater | University of Seville |
Baltasar Garzón Real (Spanish pronunciation: [baltaˈsar ɣarˈθon]; born 26 October 1955) is a Spanish jurist. Garzón formerly served on Spain's central criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, and was the examining magistrate of the Juzgado Central de Instrucción No. 5, which investigates the most important criminal cases in Spain, including terrorism, organised crime, and money laundering. Garzón is currently head of Julian Assange's legal team.
Garzón came to international attention on 10 October 1998 when he issued 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 to extradite Pinochet, it was the first time that a former head of government had been arrested on the principle of universal jurisdiction.
Garzón has been prevented from working as a judge in Spain since May 2010. His initial suspension was the result of legal action initiated by Manos Limpias, a rightist union headed by Miguel Bernard Remón, a former leader of Fuerza Nueva, a pro-Francoist political party. Although he was suspended from judicial activity in Spain pending trial in respect of a charge relating to his investigation of Francoist crimes, he was awarded the René Cassin Prize by the French organization Jeune République with the support of the International Criminal Court and Amnesty International and as a consequence given permission to work as a legal adviser at the International Criminal Court in The Hague from May 2010.
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