In Memoriam: Alfredo Etcheberry (LAW’55), 1931-2023

Saturday December 30 marked the passing of Luis Alfredo Etcheberry Orthusteguy, lawyer, alumnus, and emeritus professor of the School of Law at the University of Chile, and a 1955 graduate of Columbia Law School. He passed away at the age of 92, surrounded by his daughters and grandchildren.

Throughout his career, Etcheberry, one of the country's most renowned criminal lawyers, exerted a lasting influence on the legal landscape, shaping the work of lawyers, professors, and judges for decades and represented the State of Chile and other countries in emblematic cases.

Among these, he served as legal counsel in Chile for the United States government concerning the 1976 assassination of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C. He sought the extradition of General Manuel Contreras, the former director of DINA, the intelligence agency of Pinochet's dictatorship. Etcheberry presented evidence of DINA's involvement in the crime before the Chilean court. Although extradition was denied by the Chilean Supreme Court at the time, after the return of democracy in the country, Etcheberry succeeded in having both Contreras and the second-in-command of DINA, Pedro Espinoza, sentenced to 7 and 6 years in prison, respectively.

Between 2005 and 2007, he successfully represented the Peruvian state in the extradition request for former President Alberto Fujimori, detained in Chile, to be tried in his home country for crimes against humanity and corruption.

In 2019, he once again represented the U.S. government before the Chilean judicial system working towards the extradition of businessman Carlos Cardoen, accused of selling cluster bombs to Iraq with zirconium acquired in the United States.

Etcheberry also played a key role in the 2017 debate on the decriminalization of abortion, serving as the government's representative to the Chilean Constitutional Court. Appointed by then-President Michelle Bachelet, he defended the constitutionality of the initiative's three cases.

In addition to his legal achievements, Etcheberry excelled in academia, serving as a law professor since 1956 – he was the first academic to teach Comparative Criminal Law in the country – and authored numerous books and articles on penal law.

Other highlights of his career involve his public service roles, including serving as the Chilean Ambassador to the Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of the International Criminal Court in 1998. He also advised the 2015 Presidential Advisory Council against Conflicts of Interest, Influence Peddling, and Corruption (Engel Commission) and chaired the First Chilean Committee of the Draft Latin American Standard Penal Code.

Active in various organizations, Etcheberry served in leadership roles at the Bar Association, the Chilean Society of Philosophy of Law, and the Institute of Criminal Sciences. Internationally, he contributed to associations like the International Association of Penal Law, the International Commission of Jurists, and the Andean Commission of Jurists, among others.

In December 2022, the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) of Chile recognized him with the Outstanding Alumnus Award. This recognition honored his substantial contributions to Chilean society across various sectors, reflecting his extensive and diverse professional and academic journey.