New York University President John Sexton today bestowed an honorary doctorate on renowned Spanish investigative jurist Baltasar Garzón Real at NYU’s 175th Commencement Exercises in Washington Square Park. Some 19,000 graduates, faculty, staff, and guests attended the morning ceremony.
The following citation was read in conferring the Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, on Baltasar Garzón Real:
Baltasar Garzón Real- professor, author, judge-magistrate, with consummate skill and magnificent result, you have applied the principle of universal justice in cases where Spain has jurisdiction. It has taken courage, grit and fierce determination to pursue, as you have, multiple and complex investigations of terrorism that include drug trafficking and money laundering, the seizure of the Achile Lauro, the crimes of Al Qaeda, and mass human rights violations of forced disappearance, torture, and genocide. In your unrelenting pursuit of justice you have investigated crimes against Spain’s most important institutions even as you have cemented strong bonds of international juridical cooperation with scores of other countries. Widely celebrated as a hard-working, incorruptible, and highly principled investigator, you are recipient of countless honors 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 you have held in the academy, NYU proudly claims you as senior fellow in the Center on Law and Security of our School of Law and holder of the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Chair of Spanish Culture and Civilization at our center named after another recipient of an NYU honorary degree, the King of Spain.
Baltasar Garzón Real-esteemed for your fortitude, wisdom, and energy in fighting crime and corruption, you have earned the profound and enduring gratitude of your fellow citizens of the world. By virtue of the authority vested in me by New York University, I am pleased to confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.