José Zalaquett facts for kids
José "Pepe" Zalaquett Daher (born March 10, 1942 – died February 15, 2020) was a Chilean lawyer. He became famous for defending human rights. This was during the time when Augusto Pinochet's military government ruled Chile (1973 to 1990).
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Who Was José Zalaquett?
José Zalaquett finished law school in 1967 at the University of Chile.
Standing Up for Human Rights
After the military took control of Chile on September 11, 1973, José Zalaquett started working with the Comité Pro Paz [es]. This was a group that helped people with human rights. It was started by different Christian churches and other religious groups. Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez of the Catholic Church helped create it.
José Zalaquett led the legal part of this group from late 1973 until December 1975. His main job was to guide lawyers who were trying to protect human rights. This involved three main things:
- Helping people who were accused of crimes by military courts.
- Asking courts to release people who were held by the military. This is like asking for a special order called habeas corpus.
- Trying to find out where people who had been arrested were being held.
On November 15, 1975, secret police agents arrested José Zalaquett. They took him to a detention center called Tres Álamos. He was let go on January 30, 1976. But he was arrested again on April 5 and sent out of the country on April 12. He could not return to Chile until 1986.
While he was living outside Chile, he led the international committee of Amnesty International. This was from 1979 to 1982. Amnesty International is a group that works for human rights all over the world.
Working for Democracy
When Chile started to become a democracy again, President Patricio Aylwin chose Zalaquett for an important job. He joined the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This group was set up in 1990 to look into human rights problems caused by the military government.
In 1999 and 2000, he also took part in a special discussion group. This group brought together members of the military and human rights lawyers. They talked about human rights issues.
From 2002 to 2005, he was a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He even served as its president from 2004 to 2005. This commission works to protect human rights in the Americas.
Teaching and Awards
José Zalaquett taught law at the University of Chile. He gave lessons on international human rights law and on ethics in government. He received special honorary law degrees from the University of Notre Dame and City University of New York in the United States. He was also a member of the International Commission of Jurists. This group is based in Geneva and works on legal issues.
Along with Cecilia Medina, another Chilean judge, Zalaquett directed the Human Rights Centre at the University of Chile's law school.
In 1994, UNESCO gave him the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education. This award recognized his work in teaching others about human rights.
In 2003, he won Chile's National Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences. He received it for helping to protect people's rights and for promoting good behavior in politics. In August 2006, Alberto Hurtado University in Santiago gave him the San Alberto Hurtado Medal. This was to honor his work in human rights.
On November 12, 2009, he received "The Notre Dame Prize" from the University of Notre Dame. This award honors leaders in Latin America who help make their countries better.
From 2014, he offered free online courses about Human Rights. These courses were part of the MOOC Chile project.
See also
In Spanish: José Zalaquett para niños
