On April 25–26, the Second Global Indigenous Peacebuilding Summit took place in New York, held alongside the session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The event brought together more than 150 Indigenous representatives from dozens of countries — including community leaders, women, youth, mediators, and human rights defenders. Its main goal was to strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples in global processes of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. P

The Moscow City Court has upheld the extension of pre-trial detention for Daria Egereva and Natalya Leongardt, who are accused of participating in a terrorist organization.

“The use of criminal law has become a tool to suppress lawful activism.”

Participants presented reports to Mariana Katzarova on systemic human rights violations in Russia, including the persecution of activists, pressure on civil society, and restrictions on freedom of expression.

First, he addressed how Russia uses the Forum. In recent years, positive narratives about companies like Nornickel were presented with the support of the government and RAIPON. In reality, communities remain without basic services and face displacement.

During the conversation, the participants focused on the cases of Daria Egereva and Natalya Leongardt, as well as on the broader trend of persecution of Indigenous human rights defenders in Russia.

The lawyer also notes that defenders of Indigenous rights have always been "inconvenient" not only for officials and law enforcement.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and 104 other human rights organisations have joined the call for the immediate release of Indigenous climate leader Daria Egereva and human rights defender Natalia Leongardt, held in pre-trial detention in Russia under unfounded charges of terrorism since December 2025.

Daria Egereva was supposed to be in New York next week. The Indigenous Selkup climate advocate was expected to return to the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, where two years ago she spoke about how Indigenous peoples are confronting environmental degradation and climate change. Instead, this year she is in a Russian jail, facing up to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

“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.”

• Daria Egereva be released immediately and unconditionally.

As part of her international work, Daria called for Russia to ratify ILO Convention No. 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, emphasizing the importance of upholding international standards for the protection of traditional territories and cultural practices. All her public statements were purely advocacy-focused, dedicated to Indigenous rights, ecosystem preservation, and climate justice — none of her statements are related to the charges currently

The post also notes that one environmental activist in Russia, who advocated for Indigenous peoples’ rights and climate justice, is currently being held in detention. The case illustrates broader concerns about repression against climate defenders and underscores the need for stronger international protection of environmental activists.