Hugo Enrique Dolmestch Urra (born 1 December 1944) is a Chilean lawyer, judge, and teacher. He was a Minister of the Supreme Court of Chile, and was its President from 2016 to 2018.

Family and studies

Hugo Dolmestch was born in Parral in 1944, the son of Carlos Dolmestch Gómez and Adriana Urra Carrasco. He completed his basic studies at the Escuela Superior de Hombres No. 1 in his hometown, and secondary studies at the Normal School of

Curicó Curicó (), meaning "Black Waters" in Mapudungun (originally meaning "Land of Black Water"), is the capital city of the Curicó Province, part of the Maule Region in Chile's central valley. The province lies between the provinces of Colcha ...

, from 1958 to 1963, where he was certified as a teacher of . Later he entered the

University of Concepción A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

's Law School, becoming a lawyer in 1974. He is married to Ruth Ulloa Neira.

Judicial career

In December 1978, Dolmestch assumed the position of public defender of the Parral . He was secretary of the Río Bueno Court of Letters, judge of the Bulnes Court of Letters, rapporteur of the

Chillán Chillán () is the capital city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new Ñuble Region since 6 Sept ...

Courts of Appeals, and of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. He was appointed Minister of the in 1995. On 1 August 2006 he became a Minister of the Supreme Court of Chile, having been nominated by President

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...

and ratified by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. In that court he is a member of the Criminal Chamber, where he has had to resolve cases of soldiers involved in crimes during the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

, in which he has imposed the so-called "Dolmestch doctrine", which consists of granting benefits and reductions of punishment to the accused who cooperate with the investigation. This has been criticized as a "disguised amnesty" by groups of relatives of the dictatorship's victims. On 28 May 2012, he was appointed spokesman of the Supreme Court by seniority. On 18 December 2015 he was elected President of the Supreme Court for the 2016–2018 biennium, succeeding Sergio Muñoz Gajardo. He took office on 6 January 2016. On 8 January 2018 he was succeeded by . His term as Minister of the Supreme Court ended on 29 November 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolmestch, Hugo 1944 births 20th-century Chilean lawyers Chilean schoolteachers Living people People from Linares Province Supreme Court of Chile members University of Concepción alumni