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Age
Area of FocusAbout José's Work
José Zalaquett is a lawyer with an academic background in criminal law and international human rights.
After the 1973 coup in Chile, Zalaquett organized and headed the Human Rights Department of the Ecumenical Committee for Peace in Chile, an organization that provided legal assistance for thousands of political prisoners and their families. Expelled from Chile in 1976, he moved to the United States in 1977, residing there until he was allowed to return to Chile in 1986. During his exile, Zalaquett worked with Amnesty International and chaired its governing body, the International Executive Committee. Taking an active role in many other human rights and legal organizations, he has conducted fact-finding missions to numerous countries and has participated in hearings on human rights issues held by the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the U.S. Congress.
Biography
Zalaquett is a professor of human rights at the Law School of the University of Chile, where he also teaches ethics and government in a postgraduate program on public policy. He also teaches annual courses at the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in Costa Rica. He has written numerous books and monographs and has contributed to newspapers and magazines on human rights and related issues.
Zalaquett received a J.D. (1967) from the University of Chile in Santiago.
Last updated January 1, 2005
Published on August 1, 1990
