Original article: \u201cCay\u00f3 una, pero nos levantamos mil en todos los territorios\u201d: Nieta de Julia Chu\u00f1il a un a\u00f1o de su desaparici\u00f3n forzada<\/a><\/p>\n During a heartfelt and resolute speech at a commemorative event, Lissette S\u00e1nchez, granddaughter of Mapuche leader and land defender Julia Chu\u00f1il Catricura<\/strong>, raised her voice to demand truth and justice on the anniversary of her grandmother\u2019s forced disappearance. The case, which has mobilized communities both within and outside the country, highlights the harsh realities of socio-environmental conflict, the persecution of the Mapuche people, and the collusion between economic power and state inaction, as claimed by various communities and organizations.<\/p>\n The video recording of S\u00e1nchez\u2019s speech was shared by photographer, documentarian, and audiovisual creator Nicole Kramm Caifal, whose access link is included at the end of this report.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, as everyone knows, marks one year since my grandmother Julia was forcibly disappeared\u2026 it is a very sad day for us because we never imagined that my grandmother, who used to be seen working in the fields, a diligent woman, a lover of animals, would not be seen anymore,\u201d S\u00e1nchez recounted as she traveled from the south to Santiago to represent her family. She expressed that the anguish deepens because \u201cwe couldn\u2019t even say goodbye to her and tell her how much we loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n In front of a Mapuche audience, S\u00e1nchez recounted how, after a fruitless month-long search where \u201cfirefighters withdrew,\u201d she decided to use social media to highlight the injustice. \u201cI shared videos, images, so that everyone would know about my grandmother and the injustice we were experiencing as a family, simply for being Mapuche.\u201d<\/p>\n The account reveals the background of the tragedy: the defense of a native forest. \u201cMy grandmother was protecting a forest; she was involved in the recovery of nearly a thousand hectares, which contained 90% floral and faunal diversity, medicinal plants, and animals\u2014a very beautiful place.\u201d This struggle brought her into conflict with businessman Juan Carlos Morstadt, whom the family identifies as the main perpetrator of threats and harassment against her.<\/p>\n \u201cMany know that my grandmother was receiving threats, harassment\u2026 he was the one threatening and harassing her, driven by greed to possess this native forest,\u201d S\u00e1nchez asserted. \u201cAnd one day, just like today, she went up, along with her dogs, and that man, driven by greed, took her away.\u201d<\/p>\n Julia Chu\u00f1il\u2019s granddaughter made a harsh critique of mainstream media, accusing them of being \u201cmocking press.\u201d She denounced that \u201cnational channels published the faces and identities of my uncles,\u201d exposing them to public scrutiny and re-victimizing the family.<\/p>\n She also questioned the credibility of protected witnesses in the investigation: \u201cWe don\u2019t know who they are, if they are real people, or if they were created by the same police to make one fabrication after another.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere we live, our neighbors are pointed at, treated as murderers. How could we harm our grandmother if we loved her so much? National channels also publish notes. Channel 13 spent about four days doing a report, revealing my uncles\u2019 identities and leaving them to public opinion, where people can be so cruel and say horrendous things,\u201d the young Mapuche woman pointed out.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cLet\u2019s not forget the murder of my grandmother\u2019s animals, her little horse and pig, who were part of her life, as she loved her animals as her children. They were also cowardly killed.\u201d<\/p>\n One incident that she labeled \u201ca lack of respect\u201d was the suspension, just ten minutes before, of the first hearing of the case, to which businessman Morstadt did not show up. \u201cFor us, we felt he was guilty,\u201d she expressed.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday was supposed to be the first trial. My family was there, along with attorney Karina Riquelme, and many communities supporting the family. And what happened? This businessman didn\u2019t show up, canceled the hearing ten minutes beforehand,\u201d the young woman noted.<\/p>\n However, in a crucial turn of events, S\u00e1nchez confirmed during her speech that \u201ctoday it was confirmed that this businessman is now implicated.\u201d This progress, she maintained, is a triumph of social pressure: \u201cThis is thanks to the support of the people, from the communities, both Mapuche and non-Mapuche individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n The Legacy: \u201cOne May Fall, but We Rise a Thousand\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Lissette S\u00e1nchez honored her grandmother\u2019s memory not just as a family member but as a seed of resistance. \u201cNot only did they take my grandmother, not only did they murder her, they took years of wisdom, of work, from a woman who loved the land.\u201d She also remembered other Mapuche defenders whose cases remain unsolved, such as Nicolasa Quintrem\u00e1n, Macarena Vald\u00e9s, and Emilia Bau.<\/p>\n \u201cThis person thought that by disappearing her, no one would demand her forest, her whereabouts, but she has risen; when one falls, a thousand stand up across all territories<\/strong>,\u201d she declared, announcing the family\u2019s decision to continue the recovery and protection of the forest that Julia defended. \u201cWe will not allow our grandmother\u2019s years of struggle to be in vain<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, she sent a message of strength and continuity in the struggle: \u201cAnd if someday a sister or comrade disappears again, we will rise once more. I come again to raise my voice for my grandmother because they silenced her. But we will continue as a family to raise it again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n The chant \u201cCHEW MULEY, JULIA CHU\u00d1IL!\u201d (Where is Julia Chu\u00f1il?) echoed not as a question but as a collective and timeless demand for justice.<\/p>\n Watch the video. Instagram post by Nicole Kramm Caifal<\/strong><\/p>\nCHEW MULEY, JULIA CHU\u00d1IL!: A YEAR AFTER HER FORCED DISAPPEARANCE, THE FIGHT FOR NATIVE FORESTS AND THE MEMORY OF THE MAPUCHE DEFENDER PERSISTS<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Pain of a Forced Absence<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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See also \/ Demand Truth and Justice: Organizations Protest in Courts One Year After Julia Chu\u00f1il Catricura\u2019s Forced Disappearance<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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You May Be Interested \/ Businessman Juan Carlos Morstadt Anwandter has been declared implicated by the Los R\u00edos Prosecutor\u2019s Office in Julia Chu\u00f1il Catricura\u2019s Forced Disappearance Case<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Media Criminalization and Fabrications<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Impunity and a Step Forward in the Case<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n