Paulina Veloso
Encyclopedia
Paulina Eliana Veloso Valenzuela (born in Concepción
, Chile
, February 14, 1957) is a Chile
an lawyer and Socialist Party
politician who served as the Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Chile (also rendered as the president's Chief of Staff in English) from March 11, 2006 to March 27, 2007.
of the Biobío Region, lawyer Adolfo Veloso Figueroa (Socialist Party
) and Felicitas Valenzuela, an academic with the Universidad de Concepción
. She is a cousin of the intendant of Biobío Region, María Soledad Tohá Veloso. She is also the mother of Nicolás Grau, who was the president of the Students Federation of the Universidad de Chile (Federación de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Chile).
on September 11, 1973, Veloso's fiancé at the time (and later husband), Alexei Jaccard Siegler, was detained and tortured by agents of the DINA. In 1974, the two escaped together for an exile in Switzerland
. On May 15, 1977, during a trip to Buenos Aires
, Jaccard was detained in the name of Operation Condor
for Chilean and Argentine
agents. He was moved to the ESMA
internment camp, tortured, and later was disappeared
.
Paulina Veloso lived in Switzerland for many years, where she obtained dual nationality, and finally returned to Chile in 1979. Veloso studied law at the Universidad de Concepción
, graduating with the highest distinction. She was sworn in as a lawyer before the Supreme Court of Chile
in 1987. Principally dedicated to the academic life, she has served as the chair of civil law
at the Universidad de Chile School of Law in Santiago
from 1991 until the present. She also served as member of the Council of the Faculty.
(Servicio Nacional de la Mujer) from 1994-1997. In 2002 the President appointed Veloso to be a court-assisting attorney for the Court of Appeals of Santiago. In 2005, she was elected a councilor of the State Defense Council
(Consejo de Defensa del Estado).
Veloso was appointed Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency by President Michelle Bachelet
, and she assumed the post on March 11, 2006. This appointment made her one of the 10 women appointed to Bachelet's historic half-female, half-male cabinet. On March 27, 2007 Velaso was replaced as minister by the Socialist
lawyer José Antonio Viera-Gallo
as part of Bachelet's rearrangement of the cabinet in the midst of fallout over the handling of Transantiago
.
Concepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, February 14, 1957) is a Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an lawyer and Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
politician who served as the Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Chile (also rendered as the president's Chief of Staff in English) from March 11, 2006 to March 27, 2007.
Family
Velaso is the daughter of the ex-intendantIntendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
of the Biobío Region, lawyer Adolfo Veloso Figueroa (Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
) and Felicitas Valenzuela, an academic with the Universidad de Concepción
Universidad de Concepción
The University of Concepción , also known for its acronym UdeC, is one of the most prestigious universities in Chile. It is the third oldest university in the country, and it is part of the Council of Rectors. It was the first University founded in the South of Chile, and the first to become a...
. She is a cousin of the intendant of Biobío Region, María Soledad Tohá Veloso. She is also the mother of Nicolás Grau, who was the president of the Students Federation of the Universidad de Chile (Federación de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Chile).
Life under the Pinochet regime
After the Chilean coup d'état of Augusto PinochetAugusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
on September 11, 1973, Veloso's fiancé at the time (and later husband), Alexei Jaccard Siegler, was detained and tortured by agents of the DINA. In 1974, the two escaped together for an exile in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. On May 15, 1977, during a trip to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Jaccard was detained in the name of Operation Condor
Operation Condor
Operation Condor , was a campaign of political repression involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America...
for Chilean and Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
agents. He was moved to the ESMA
ESMA
The Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
internment camp, tortured, and later was disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
.
Paulina Veloso lived in Switzerland for many years, where she obtained dual nationality, and finally returned to Chile in 1979. Veloso studied law at the Universidad de Concepción
Universidad de Concepción
The University of Concepción , also known for its acronym UdeC, is one of the most prestigious universities in Chile. It is the third oldest university in the country, and it is part of the Council of Rectors. It was the first University founded in the South of Chile, and the first to become a...
, graduating with the highest distinction. She was sworn in as a lawyer before the Supreme Court of Chile
Supreme Court of Chile
The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest court in Chile. It also administrates the lower courts in the nation. It is located in the capital Santiago....
in 1987. Principally dedicated to the academic life, she has served as the chair of civil law
Civil law (area)
Civil law in continental law is a branch of law which is the general part of private law.The basis for civil law lies in a civil code. Before enacting of codes, civil law could not be distinguished from private law...
at the Universidad de Chile School of Law in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
from 1991 until the present. She also served as member of the Council of the Faculty.
Government service
With the return of democracy to Chile at the beginning of the 1990s, Veloso began to work in various public offices, including Undersecretary of Labor and chief of staff in the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Ministerio del Trabajo y Previsión Social) from 1990-1994, Deputy Director of the National Women's ServiceNational Women's Service
The National Women's Service , or SERNAM is a public service in Chile, a functionally decentralized organization, with its own funding, which is part of the cabinet-level Ministry of Planning and Cooperation under the President of Chile, created January 3, 1991 by the Law N° 19,023, with the goal...
(Servicio Nacional de la Mujer) from 1994-1997. In 2002 the President appointed Veloso to be a court-assisting attorney for the Court of Appeals of Santiago. In 2005, she was elected a councilor of the State Defense Council
State Defense Council
The State Defense Council is the military command committee of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , established by the separatist government of Dzhokhar Dudayev in 1992....
(Consejo de Defensa del Estado).
Veloso was appointed Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency by President Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
, and she assumed the post on March 11, 2006. This appointment made her one of the 10 women appointed to Bachelet's historic half-female, half-male cabinet. On March 27, 2007 Velaso was replaced as minister by the Socialist
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
lawyer José Antonio Viera-Gallo
José Antonio Viera-Gallo
José Antonio Viera-Gallo Quesney is a Chilean politician.Before turning 30, Viera-Gallo was a Member of Parliament during the left-wing elected government of president Salvador Allende, representing the Socialist Party of Chile. Following the 1973 coup by General Augusto Pinochet, he was among...
as part of Bachelet's rearrangement of the cabinet in the midst of fallout over the handling of Transantiago
Transantiago
Transantiago is a public transport system that serves Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is considered the most ambitious transport reform undertaken by a developing country according to the World Resources Institute....
.