Approaching One Year: The Unsolved Disappearance of Mapuche Defender Julia Chuñil Shines Light on Global Crisis for Land Rights Activists

As the one-year anniversary of Julia Chuñil’s disappearance approaches, the fate of the 72-year-old Mapuche land defender remains a haunting mystery, underscoring the perilous reality faced by Indigenous activists worldwide. Chuñil vanished last November while searching for livestock near her home in Chile’s ancient Valdivian forest, a territory her community claims as ancestral land. Her case, still unresolved, is a stark reminder of the deadly toll of land conflict, a crisis amplified by a recent Global Witness report detailing 146 killings or disappearances of environmental defenders in 2024.

Chuñil, a prominent leader in her community, had spent years campaigning to secure land rights over Reserva Cora, a 900-hectare site coveted by a logging interest. Her activism put her at odds with the nominal owner, and she chillingly told supporters before she disappeared, “If anything happens to me, you already know who did it.” Despite weeks of extensive searches involving over a hundred people, no trace of Chuñil or her dog, Cholito, has ever been found.

The Global Witness report for 2024 reveals that Indigenous communities, who make up only 6% of the global population, accounted for approximately one-third of the total victims, highlighting their disproportionate vulnerability. Latin America continues to be the most dangerous region, responsible for 82% of cases in 2024, including 45 Indigenous people. Colombia registered the highest number of cases with 48, followed by Guatemala with 20, and Mexico with 19, though under-reporting remains a significant issue in other regions.

While Chuñil’s case was the only one recorded in Chile last year, it fits a disturbing pattern of targeting Mapuche activists. The fight for justice for Julia has also brought threats and intimidation to her family. In April 2025, two animals they planned to auction to fund legal costs were found killed, one shot and one poisoned – a clear attempt, according to her son Pablo San Martín, to prevent them from pursuing the case.

Global Witness emphasizes that while the overall number of registered cases in 2024 was the lowest in a decade, this does not necessarily indicate a decrease in violence but rather an evolution in tactics, with violence becoming more sophisticated. The organization calls on governments globally to end impunity for these crimes by addressing land and territorial rights, strengthening legal systems, and providing adequate state protection for at-risk defenders. San Martín’s plea echoes this urgency: “All we are asking for is a full, fair investigation to take place. It’s been almost a year since she disappeared and we’re still in the dark about what happened. We want those behind this to be identified and charged.”

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