Children of Berta Cáceres and Julia Chuñil Unite Their Voices at the People’s Summit: Demand Justice for Defenders

Original article: Hija de Berta Cáceres e hijo de Julia Chuñil unen sus voces en Cumbre de los Pueblos: Exigen justicia para defensoras

Global Impunity: Julia Chuñil’s Son and Berta Cáceres’ Daughter Confront COP30, Demanding Justice for Their Mothers’ Murders and Disappearance

Nearly ten years after the assassination of Berta Cáceres in Honduras and over a year since Julia Chuñil’s disappearance in Chile, their fight gains international visibility at a time when violence against environmental defenders is alarmingly high. As reported by Radio JGM, during the People’s Summit held in parallel with COP30 in Belém, Brazil, human rights and environmental advocates continue to raise their voices against impunity.

In a press conference prior to the Climate March, Pablo San Martín Chuñil and Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres, children of Julia Chuñil and Berta Cáceres, demanded justice for Indigenous peoples and for both defenders. “We are here to bring the demands of Indigenous peoples… to demand justice for the communities, the return of our compañera Julia Chuñil, and justice for our mother, our compañera, Berta Cáceres,” said Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres from Belém, in a report by Radio JGM.

Meanwhile, Pablo San Martín Chuñil highlighted the disappearance of his mother, Julia Chuñil, a Mapuche leader last seen on November 8, 2024, in the Los Ríos region of southern Chile. Pablo publicly denounced the impunity surrounding his mother’s disappearance. His participation in the Summit is part of a broader strategy to internationalize the case, as documented by Radio JGM. The demands from the families of Cáceres and Chuñil emerge at a critical moment, as recent data from Global Witness reveals that at least 146 land and environmental defenders were murdered or went missing in 2024, with 82% of these cases occurring in Latin America.