Report Highlights Life and Legacy of Julia Chuñil: Calls for State Investigation with Human Rights Focus and Implementation of Escazú Agreement

Original article: Informe documenta vida y legado de Julia Chuñil: Exigen al Estado investigación con enfoque en DDHH y aplicación de Acuerdo Escazú

Julia Chuñil: Defender of Territory and Native Forest

Fundación Escazú Ahora has released a comprehensive report documenting the life and legacy of Julia Chuñil Catricura, a Mapuche leader from Máfil who disappeared in November 2024. The report compiles international and national sources, alongside jurisprudence regarding environmental defenders, establishing that Julia «dedicated her life to safeguarding the integrity of ecosystems and the Mapuche worldview.»

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The study cites UN treaties, the Inter-American Court, and the Escazú Agreement, emphasizing that «environmental defenders must have a safe and conducive environment to act without threats, restrictions, or insecurity.»

Also, watch the video by Global Witness / Lost defenders: Where is Julia Chuñil?

Threats, Harassment, and Increased Vulnerability

The document details that Julia «faced numerous threats prior to her disappearance,» including roadblocks, monetary offers to abandon her land, and an attempted hit-and-run by a local businessman. Her advocacy for the native forest in the Cora Uno-A Reserve, which spans 925 hectares, made her a target for forestry interests.

The Foundation specifies that her situation is exacerbated by her being a «woman, indigenous, elderly, and a rural resident without access to electricity, drinking water, or nearby police or judicial services.»

A Life Dedicated to the Defense of Itrofillmongen

Born in 1952, Julia founded the Putreguel Indigenous Community and served as its president since 2012. The report highlights her deep connection to the land and the itrofillmongen, a concept symbolizing life in all its forms. «Protecting nature means safeguarding the worldview and rights of the Mapuche people,» the study emphasizes. Her actions were peaceful and persistent, achieving the conservation of an ecosystem featuring species such as maqui, canelo, pudú, traro, and güiña, while the neighboring area suffered deforestation and conversion to monocultures of pine and eucalyptus.

Community Engagement and Leadership

Fundación Escazú Ahora collects records of her involvement in cultural and community activities: the We Tripantü of 2013, the commemoration of the International Indigenous Women’s Day (2018), meetings against the indigenous consultation of 2019, and her participation in the documentary Máfil ñi pu tukulpazugun (Testimonies of Máfil), released in 2024. «Julia always exercised her role as an indigenous women leader, defending the rights and interests of her community,» the document highlights.

Responsibilities of the Chilean State

The report concludes that her case «constitutes a violation against an environmental human rights defender.» It calls for the Public Ministry to investigate from an intersectional perspective, considering crimes such as kidnapping, femicide, or serious injuries, while avoiding «stigmatizations or prejudices» in the prosecution. Moreover, it urges the creation of specialized units for human rights and protection of environmental defenders within the police.

A Recurring Pattern

The Foundation warns that Julia’s situation mirrors other cases in Chile, such as those of Macarena Valdés (2016) and Alberto Curamil (2019), victims of persecution for defending their territory. «The State has a duty to ensure the safety and respect for those protecting the country’s ecosystems,» the report declares, recalling that the Escazú Agreement, effective since 2022, imposes clear obligations in this regard.

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Fundación Escazú Ahora invites citizens, institutions, and authorities to recognize Julia Chuñil as a Environmental Defender and to review the complete report, which systematizes legal, environmental, and testimonial aspects of her life and disappearance, available on the official website of Escazú Ahora.

See below the report from Escazú Ahora. Access at the following link:

JULIA CHUÑIL CATRICURA: ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDER