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Missing Mapuche Activist Highlights Perils of Land Rights

4/8/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Julia Chuñil Catricura, a 72-year-old Mapuche land defender, vanished in November 2022 while hiking in the lush Valdivian rainforest. Her family fears foul play tied to ongoing land rights conflicts. Her disappearance underscores the perilous reality for Indigenous activists, who confront a legacy of land dispossession and persistent governmental neglect.

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Story summary

Julia Chuñil Catricura, a 72-year-old Mapuche land defender, vanished in November 2022 while hiking in the lush Valdivian rainforest. Her family fears foul play tied to ongoing land rights conflicts. Her disappearance underscores the perilous reality for Indigenous activists, who confront a legacy of land dispossession and persistent governmental neglect.