Hernán Larraín
Hernán Larraín Fernández is a conservative Chilean lawyer, university lecturer, and politician; he is the current Chilean Minister of Justice and Human rights appointed by president Sebastián Piñera. Larraín's former public service positions include a Senate seat representing the 11th district, the Maule Region, the Presidency of the Senate and the presidency of the Independent Democratic Union from 2006-2008 and 2015-2017. The UDI is a conservative political party with strong links to the Opus Dei, that opposes abortion and has historically supported Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. His appointment as Minister of Justice and Human rights has been controversial despite his attempt to distance himself from the UDI's ideology regarding human rights to achieve a more conciliatory tone as a minister.
Larraín is married to Magdalena Matte, a Chilean civil engineer, businesswoman and politician involved in the Kodama case. They have six children, among them is Pablo Larraín, a well known film maker. Hernán Larraín is of Basque descent. He is also a member of Washington D.C. based think tank the Inter-American Dialogue.Early years
Hernán Larraín was born in Santiago de Chile. He studied at the Saint George's College. He entered the School of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and received a law degree in 1971. At the university, Larraín obtained the "J.Tocornal" and "P.Montenegro" awards, given to the best student of the class. Larraín received a scholarship from the Ford Foundation to pursue his Master of Laws degree at the London School of Economics.
Larraín has been professor of the School of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he served as Secretary-General. Despite having belonged to the Gremialista movement, he did not join the Independent Democratic Union until after the assassination of its founder Jaime Guzmán in 1991.
