The crusading Spanish judge who indicted Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden was suspended Friday for allegedly overstepping his jurisdiction in a probe of one of Spain's biggest cases about atrocities committed during and after the nation's ruinous civil war. The punishment could effectively end Judge Baltasar Garzon's career.
The decision was made unanimously by a judicial oversight board called the General Council of the Judiciary after an emergency meeting about Garzon, said its spokeswoman, Gabriela Bravo. Supporters chanted, cheered and clapped later as Garzon emerged from the nearby National Court, where he works. He hugged co-workers and appeared to be holding back tears before getting into a bullet-proof limousine and riding away.
Garzon, 54, internationally famous for his cross-border justice cases, has been removed from his post pending his trial on charges of knowingly going beyond the limits of his authority in 2008 by investigating the execution or disappearance of more than 100,000 civilians at the hands of supporters of Gen. Francisco Franco during the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War or in the early years of the Franco dictatorship. Until Garzon acted, there had been no official probe of such atrocities, which were covered by an amnesty passed by the Spanish Parliament in 1977, two years after Franco died, as the country moved toward reconciliation.
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