Baltasar Garzón

Author, Judge and Magistrate


Judge Baltasar Garzón Real has made an illustrious career taking on powerful enemies, specializing in cases against government corruption, organized crime, terrorists, state antiterrorism units, and drug lords. One of the most distinguished judges in the world today, Baltasar Garzon is a leader in the legal fight against human rights violators. In his unrelenting pursuit of justice he has investigated crimes against Spain’s most important institutions and cemented strong bonds of international juridical cooperation with scores of other countries. In 1996, Garzón investigated and called world attention to the Dirty War, in which the Argentine government murdered more than 13,000 people in the 1970s. In 1998, Garzón issued an order for the detention of Augusto Pinochet, while the former Chilean dictator was in London. Garzón's bold steps in pursuing perpetrators of crimes against humanity have set a groundbreaking legal precedent.

Widely celebrated as a hard-working, incorruptible, and highly principled investigator, Judge Garzón is the recipient of countless honours that include the National Human Rights Award of Spain and the Medal of the Senate of the Republic of Chile. Among the several prestigious appointments he’s held in the academy, he has been proudly proclaimed as senior fellow in the Center on Law and Security at NYU School of Law and holder of the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Chair of Spanish Culture and Civilization.