Amnesty International has included the case of Indigenous human rights defender Daria Egereva in a new report to the United Nations on the growing persecution of environmental human rights defenders worldwide. The report, “Environmental human rights defenders: Vital voices face attacks and lack protection,” was published in August 2026 as Amnesty International’s submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment. For Daria Egereva, the report

Eight months after their arrest, Indigenous rights defenders Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt remain in a Russian pre-trial detention center, with no trial yet held in their case. Swedish public broadcaster SVT has highlighted their situation and the concerns of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

A new letter from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) raises serious concerns about the use of anti-extremism legislation against human rights defenders and civil society representatives working on Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Russia. Although the Committee does not mention Daria Egereva or Natalia Leongardt by name, its concerns are directly relevant to the circumstances of their prosecution.

According to the human rights organization OWD-Info, more than 2,100 people are currently detained in Russia for political reasons. Among them are many members of minority groups and Indigenous Peoples. Daria Egereva belongs to the Selkup people, one of Russia’s smallest Indigenous Peoples with a population of around 3,500.

Bonn, Germany - While the UN climate talks preparing COP31 have begun in Bonn this week, Daria Egereva, an ethnic Selkup, Indigenous leader and climate activist, has been awaiting trial in Russian jail since 17th of December, when a large-scale, coordinated wave of repressive actions against Indigenous Peoples and their human rights defenders took place. Daria was detained shortly after coming back from UN climate talks in Belém (Brazil).