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The Moscow City Court has scheduled a hearing to consider appeals against the extension of pre-trial detention for Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt.

UN Special Rapporteurs on Thursday condemned an ongoing strategy by Russian authorities to silence dissent, human rights advocacy, and anti-war expression. They warned that this represents a “systematic dismantling” of civil society under the guise of protecting national security and public safety.

A Russian court has remanded a second Indigenous rights defender in custody as part of a widening case linked to the banned activist network known as the ‘Aborigen Forum’. Natalya Leongardt, a 58-year-old specialist on the rights of Indigenous peoples in Russia’s North, Siberia and Far East, was detained on Dec. 17, 2025, and ordered into pre-trial detention the following day by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court, according to rights organizations and media reports.

It has now become known that Daria Egereva is not the only woman held in pre-trial detention following the large-scale raids and arrests carried out on 17 December 2025. Alongside her remains another activist — Natalia Leongardt.

We invite all Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, NGOs, and allies across civil society to sign this petition calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, who are arbitrarily detained for their peaceful, lawful engagement in Indigenous rights and international advocacy.

UN experts have stated that Russian authorities are systematically abusing anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to suppress civil society, human rights activities, and anti-war expression.

United Nations Special Rapporteurs have issued a strong condemnation of what they describe as an escalating and deliberate campaign by Russian authorities to silence dissent, criminalise anti-war expression, and dismantle independent civil society, under the pretext of safeguarding national security.

Natalia Leongardt is a human rights advocate and specialist in the protection of the rights of Indigenous small-numbered peoples. She was detained in the same criminal case as Daria Egereva.

On December 17, 2025, a wave of repression against Indigenous peoples’ representatives and human rights defenders took place in Russia. In Moscow, Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt were arrested. They are accused under the article on “participation in a terrorist organization” and face up to 20 years in prison. Their pre-trial detention has been extended until June 15, 2026.

The international organization Amnesty International has called on the Russian authorities to immediately release Indigenous representative Daria Egereva and to drop all criminal charges against her, launching a global letter-writing campaign addressed to the country’s leadership.

The name of the second defendant in this case was revealed. Natalya Leongardt is an experienced Russian human rights defender, Daria's colleague, and a specialist in supporting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, with 20 years of her professional life dedicated to this work.

Photo by Indigenous Russia Indigenous activist and representative of the small-numbered Selkup people of Siberia, Daria Egereva , has been charged with participation in a terrorist organization as part of a large criminal case involving ten individuals and “other persons.” This is stated in an appellate ruling by the Moscow City Court, as reported by Mediazona . Egereva was detained and placed in custody in December last year. At the time, decolonial activists reported that

Please send a message of solidarity to Daria, it will be translated into Russian and delivered to her in prison. Your words matter: letters remind political prisoners that they are seen, supported, and not forgotten beyond prison walls.

Sevr Nuu Andrey Metelitsa. Photo: Fisherman of Kamchatka Recent developments surrounding the regional association of Indigenous peoples of the Kamchatka Territory once again raise a question that has long been simmering within the movement: who, and to what extent, truly represents the interests of Indigenous peoples today? The trigger for this discussion is not only the re-election of the association’s chair, Andrey Metelitsa — a process which, according to reports, has rai

On December 17, 2025, mass raids were carried out across Russia targeting representatives of Indigenous peoples. Dozens of activists were interrogated, their devices confiscated, and two individuals were arrested. Among them was Daria Egereva — a well-known human rights defender, international expert, and representative of the Selkup Indigenous people.

At the discussion “Voices of Indigenous Peoples Against Repression by the Russian Authorities,” held on March 3, 2026, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Sámi activist and member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Valentina Sovkina, spoke about systemic pressure on Indigenous representatives in Russia.

Thus, the case of Daria Egereva goes beyond the fate of a single person. It raises broader questions about the place of Indigenous voices in confronting global challenges, particularly those related to climate change — and about the conditions under which these voices can truly be heard.

A number of international organizations have sent appeals and open letters calling for her release and for the protection of her rights. Solidarity campaigns are taking place in different countries and include statements from Indigenous organizations, human rights institutions, and members of the expert community.

“The charges against Daria Egereva are politically motivated. Their aim is to criminalize her legitimate human rights work. We demand her immediate release,” says Sarah Reinke, head of human rights work at the STP. “Egereva has been advocating for indigenous rights, language, and culture for decades. Her detention is an attack on the indigenous movement in Russia.”

Today, March 12, a new hearing took place at the Basmanny Court in Moscow regarding the preventive measure for Daria Egereva. The court extended her detention for three months, as requested by the investigation. The hearing was held in open session, attended by diplomats from several embassies, as well as her husband and children.