Spain's high court on Thursday announced that judge Baltasar Garzon was guilty in an illegal wiretapping case and disbarred him for 11 years.

Garzon had been accused of illegally recording conversations between suspects and their lawyers. He was also known for pursuing high-profile human rights cases, including an attempt to extradite Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The case was one of three brought against Garzon. The other charges involved an investigation into former Spanish leader Francisco Franco's regime, which allegedly violated an amnesty law, and whether Garzon had acted improperly when he dropped a case against the head of Spain's biggest bank, Santander, after allegedly receiving payments from the bank. All three trials have been brought forward by private parties, not the state prosecutor.

Garzon denies all the charges against him, and his supporters have labeled them as an effort to silence a champion of human rights.

mz/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)