Spanish Judge Convicted of Misusing Authority

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón has suspended from the judiciary for 11 years following a conviction for authorizing wiretapping in a corruption case.

Hundreds of people protested on the streets of Madrid in support of Garzón,

“I reject the sentence head-on,” Garzón  said in a statement. “My rights have been systematically violated.”

Garzón  is awaiting the outcome of two other trials, including one relating to his attempts to investigate crimes carried out under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Many people see the trials as a ‘’vendetta by the political right, against a judge who is regarded as a champion of human rights and justice by the Spanish left.”

A spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office declined to comment on the conviction, but said, “Spain is obliged under international law to investigate past serious human rights violations including those committed during the Franco regime and to prosecute and punish those responsible if there are any still alive.”