Boric Demands Truth and Justice in the Julia Chuñil Case: “There Can Be No Impunity”

President Gabriel Boric called for truth and justice in the case of the alleged forced disappearance of Mapuche leader and environmental defender Julia Chuñil, who was last seen on November 8, 2024, in the Huichaco sector of the Máfil commune, in Chile’s Los Ríos Region.

“I want to tell the people of Chile that no one can remain indifferent when a person disappears, as in the case of Julia Chuñil. We are all concerned about her disappearance and committed to learning the truth—what happened and where she is,” the President said in remarks to the press on Thursday from La Moneda.

The President’s statement followed Tuesday, September 30, when both the family of the president of the Putreguel Indigenous Community and their attorney, Karina Riquelme, confirmed the existence of an authorized phone intercept in which the chief suspect, businessman Juan Carlos Morstadt Anwandter, allegedly acknowledged that Chuñil was burned.

“He has had conversations in which he admitted that he knows that Julia Chuñil was burned,” the attorney said.

From the Executive, Government Spokesperson Minister Camila Vallejo stressed that it is up to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to clarify “something that has been reported and leaked to the press in the context of the investigation.”

The minister emphasized that the Government has provided concrete support to the inquiry, “particularly to the PDI teams, with investigators assigned exclusively to the case.”

“From the Executive Branch, given the utmost gravity of this case, we expect the investigation to deliver results as soon as possible so we can determine where Julia Chuñil is, and we do not rule out other actions that may be necessary,” the spokesperson added.

President Boric: “There Can Be No Room for Impunity in Chile”

Speaking to the press, President Gabriel Boric echoed Vallejo’s remarks and underscored the urgency of clarifying the case.

“As the government spokesperson said, we demand that the full truth be known, because in Chile there can be no room for impunity,” he stated.

The President added that “Julia Chuñil, an environmental defender from the commune of Máfil—who I believe represents not only the Mapuche people but the vast majority of Chileans—deserves truth and justice.”

“Therefore, we urge the institutions to do their job and to fully establish the truth,” he emphasized.

Lawmakers Summon Prosecutor Valencia, PDI and Carabineros

Following the revelation of new and serious evidence, a group of lawmakers moved to summon National Prosecutor Ángel Valencia, the PDI (Investigative Police of Chile) and Carabineros to report to the Chamber of Deputies on the status of the investigation.

“With deputies from different caucuses, today we are presenting a request for a special session, where we will summon the national prosecutor, the PDI, Carabineros, the Ministry of Justice, the presidential delegate of Los Ríos, and all relevant institutions to report to this Chamber on what evidence is being handled in the case, what progress has been made, and how we as a State will continue supporting the search for our lamngen,” explained Frente Amplio (FA) parliamentarian Ericka Ñanco, using the Mapuche term for “sister.”

Socialist Party deputy Emilia Nuyado backed attorney Karina Riquelme’s criticism of the Los Ríos Regional Prosecutor’s Office and questioned the Public Prosecutor’s decision to steer the investigation toward the Mapuche leader’s own family, while ignoring crucial lines of inquiry pointing to a potential forced disappearance linked to the territorial conflict in the area. She also denounced obstacles faced by the attorneys representing Chuñil’s children in accessing information about the case.

“We have all been moved by this grave situation, where the Public Prosecutor’s Office has downplayed the case and pursued an investigative line aimed at implicating the family—which is even more serious—and discrimination has marked the way this has been handled. The investigative line concerning this forestry businessman was never pursued, despite the Prosecutor’s Office being aware of it. Therefore, Prosecutor Valencia has much to say and do. Otherwise, he will also be complicit in this situation,” the legislator warned, as reported by Diario U de Chile.

Businessman Accused in Chuñil’s Disappearance Claims Innocence

Meanwhile, the man accused in the investigation into the Mapuche leader’s disappearance, Juan Carlos Morstadt Anwandter—who, in an authorized phone intercept, allegedly told his father that Julia Chuñil “was burned”—maintained that he is innocent.

“That is totally false (…) my dad is 93 years old; he was in the clinic during that period. Look, I could say whatever I want to him,” he told 24 Horas.

Asked whether he remembers saying that Chuñil “was burned,” the businessman—who had been in a land dispute with the environmental defender before she disappeared—replied: “No, never.”

“Because if not, I don’t know if he (my father) made comments to me, or I made them to him,” said Morstadt, who has not yet been formally charged.

Chuñil’s family has reported that the Mapuche leader was subjected to threats by the businessman to force her to hand over the disputed land.