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Thousands protest trial of Spain judge Garzon

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Thousands gathered in cities across Spain Saturday to protest the impending trial of crusading National Court judge Baltasar Garzon on charges he exceeded his jurisdictional authority with his investigation into alleged war crimes committed during and after the Spanish Civil War under the hardline regime of General Francisco Franco. Protesters rallied in Madrid and many other cities, chanting in support of Garzon and holding up flags of the pre-war Republican government ousted by Franco. Late last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement that sanctions against Garzon "risk undermining the EU's collective credibility and effectiveness in seeking justice for current human rights crimes." Garzon is also facing charges of bribery over money he received for seminars conducted in the United States. In March, the Spanish Supreme Court charged Garzon with abuse of power based on Garzon's 2008 ordered exhumation of 19 mass graves in Spain. The purpose of the order was to assemble a definitive national registry of Civil War victims, despite a 1977 law granting amnesty for political crimes committed under Franco. Earlier this month, Garzon appealed the charges, alleging that the indictment issued by Spanish Supreme Court judge Luciano Varela was politically motivated, compromised judicial independence and sought to impose a specific interpretation of the 1977 law. Garzon is widely known for using universal jurisdiction extensively in the past to bring several high-profile rights cases, including those against Osama bin Laden and former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 25, 2010 (boomark / email).