The Mapuche Women’s Network has issued a statement forcefully calling out the Chilean state over the disappearance of Julia Chuñil Catricura, a Mapuche environmental defender. The collective describes as “institutional violence” the combination of state omission, ongoing militarization in Mapuche communities, and “attempts to manipulate Indigenous consultation processes” to advance political and economic interests. “The state is complicit, and the government’s silence is unacceptable,” they assert. At the heart of their demand: truth, justice and reparations in the Julia Chuñil case.
What is the Mapuche Women’s Network alleging in the Julia Chuñil case?
In its statement, the network stresses that Julia Chuñil cannot be reduced to just another statistic among the long list of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The case, they argue, “mirrors the critical situation” the Mapuche people face under a system that denies dignity and fundamental rights.
“We will not rest until justice is served for our lamgen,” they add, urging sustained mobilization and public denunciation in the face of impunity.
Demands: impartial investigation, swift action, and a change of prosecutor’s office in the Julia Chuñil case
The statement outlines urgent, concrete measures:
- Impartial investigation with unwavering adherence to the principles of truth and justice.
- Speed and transparency to end the delays and obstruction that—according to the network—have marked the process.
- Change of prosecutor’s office, as requested by the defense, excluding the regions of Biobío and La Araucanía due to serious records of lack of impartiality.
- That the State of Chile acknowledge its responsibility, adopting all necessary measures to guarantee justice and reparations for the family of Julia Chuñil Catricura.
Recent developments in the case
- Key finding reported by the family: on September 30, the family reported the existence of a phone interception authorized by authorities in which a person under investigation is said to have referred to Julia’s fate. According to the family’s statement, the call indicated that “they burned her.”
- Institutional human rights response: on October 1, the INDH met with case attorneys and one of Julia’s sons. The institute recalled the IACHR resolution obliging the state to redouble efforts to clarify what happened and announced it will incorporate the new information into its monitoring, safeguarding due process and an exhaustive inquiry into all hypotheses.
This timeline of events adds weight to the allegation of institutional violence and to the call for urgency in the Julia Chuñil case.
Gender perspective and collective rights
The Mapuche Women’s Network situates the case within a structural pattern: the feminization of violence, institutional racism, and the criminalization of communities. They link militarization—and the way public policies are implemented on the ground—to disproportionate risks faced by Indigenous women who defend the environment and common goods.
In that vein, they reiterate that the state’s response cannot be punitive or asymmetric; it must protect, guarantee rights, and prevent revictimization.
Alongside the call for a change of prosecutor’s office and swift action, the case will remain under monitoring by human rights bodies, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is expected to ensure due diligence with a gender- and intercultural perspective across all proceedings, until the facts are clarified and accountability is established.