Julia Chuñir Catricura

Julia Chuñir Catricura (born ) is a Mapuche human rights activist. She was the president of the Putreguel Mapuche community in Máfil, Los Ríos Region, and was known for her work on indigenous land rights in Chile. Chuñir Catricura was last seen on 8 November 2024, and has not been seen since.

Activism Chuñir Catricura was the leader and president of the Mapuche Putreguel Community. She was known for her defence of Mapuche territory from attempts to appropriate it for private use. Chuñir Catricura's community's land was purchased by the National Corporation for Indigenous Development, meaning it could not be used by anyone not of indigenous descent. She became particularly known for her defence of 900 hectares of indigenous land against a local businessman, Juan Carlos Mostadt Anwandter, who was of German descent, and who had been previously the beneficiary of land acquisition processes during the Pinochet regime, refusing his offers to purchase her land. Chuñir Catricura had received threats from landowners due to her defence of Mapuche land claims.

In 2015, CONADI ruled that some of the land owned by Mostadt Anwandter, was indigenous; however, he and CONADI were unable to come up with an agreement for them to purchase his land, with Mostadt Anwandter continuing to clear forest land for firewood. In August 2024, it was alleged that Mosadt Anwandter had tried to run over Chuñir Catricura in his car.

In January 2025, the Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos called for further investigations into Chuñir Catricura's disappearance, including the application of the Escazú Agreement that had been ratified by Chile in 2022.

On 14 July 2025, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued precautionary measures in favour of Chuñir Catricura due to concerns about the lack of progress into the investigation into her disappearance, which required Chilean authorities to "redouble" its efforts to locate Chuñir Catricura and to provide updates to her family.

Response Front Line Defenders expressed concern that Chuñir Catricura's disappearance was linked to her "legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights", calling on Chilean authorities to take "all necessary measures" to determine Chuñir Catricura's whereabouts and to confirm her safety.