The renowned Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon will be at the Organization of American States (OAS) Tuesday, April 18, to keynote the thirteenth conference in the Lecture Series of the Americas. He will speak on the topic “Judicial Power and Impunity.”

Judge Baltasar Garzón Real is a Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Law and Security at NYU’s Law School and is an investigating judge for Spain’s National Court, where he has worked since 1998. One of his areas of expertise is the investigation of terrorism, including the Antiterrorist Liberation Groups (GAL), the paramilitary organization operating in Spain; the terrorist organization ETA; and Al Qaeda cells and Islamist terrorism in Spain. Garzón has also investigated drug trafficking, organized crime and financial crimes, as well as crimes against humanity, such as torture and genocide in Chile and Argentina. He ordered the arrest of General Augusto Pinochet and Osama Bin Laden. He is the author of various books and articles on terrorism

Following his main presentation, which will be Webcast live (www.oas.org), Judge Garzón will take questions from the audience.

Created by the OAS Permanent Council to promote democratic principles and values in the countries of the hemisphere, the Lecture Series of the Americas invites internationally renowned speakers to address key issues of the hemispheric agenda, such as the strengthening of democracy, human rights, social development, hemispheric security and the fight against poverty. The conferences are being held thanks to a financial contribution from Peru’s San Martín de Porres University and support from the governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Hellenic Republic.


WHAT: Judge Baltasar Garzón keynotes Lecture Series of the Americas

WHEN: Tuesday, April 18, 2006

TIME: 3: 00 p.m. EDT

WHERE: Hall of the Americas
OAS Headquarters
17th St. & Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20006

Reference: AVI-052/06