In an editorial piece published Feb. 4, the Intenaional Herald Tribune, the global version of the New York Times, defends the record of Baltasar Garzon. This Spanish judge, well-known and respected by many for pursuing high-profile cases against, among others Pinochet, Argentinian generals, Basque terrorists and others, is now being prosecuted himself.
He is under investigation, due to the breaking of a post-Franco amnesty law, which is obviously outdated and unjust. The Franco era is long gone and these inquiries would not damage Spanish democracy or civil society. They would only serve justice and the memories of the tens of thousands who disappeared.
He is also under investigation in relation to two other politically sensitive cases, which are less clear-cut and most importantly, of minor historical influence, proportionally.
What the opinion-makers of this respectable news outlet forget to mention, however, in the defense of senor Garzon, is his attempt to file a case against six US officials that facilitated torture under the Bush administration and his investigation on the Guantanamo prison camp. Perhaps too sensitive for their readers, but certainly not less commendable.
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