In a ruling which cannot be appealed, the Spanish Supreme Court has banned Baltasar Garzon from the legal profession for 11 years. The court found that he illegally authorized the wiretapping of conversations between prisoners and their lawyers in 2009. Judge Garzon is also accused in two other cases, involving the Franco era amnesty law and his investigation into Spain’s largest bank.
Until his suspension in 2010, Garzon was an investigating judge in Spain’s National Court, best known for applying the doctrine of universal jurisdiction against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the late 1990s. Garzon also called for the indictment of Osama Bin Laden and others Al-Qaeda members for terrorism. However, his investigations into human rights violations in Spain itself have been controversial.
BBC: Spain’s Judge Baltasar Garzon convicted for wiretapping
NY Times: Prominent rights judge is convicted in Spain
El Pais: Garzón dice adiós a la carrera judicial al ser condenado a 11 años de inhabilitación (Spanish only)