An Empty Chair for Daria Egereva at COP17: Indigenous Voices Call for Rights and Safety
At a COP17 press conference in Yerevan on 23 October, an empty chair and a portrait marked Daria Egereva’s absence. Indigenous Russia reports that she had been expected to take part in the biodiversity conference.
Speakers connected biodiversity protection with Indigenous land rights and the safety of rights defenders. Olga Kostrova raised the detention of Daria and Natalia Leongardt, stressing that peaceful advocacy must not become grounds for persecution.
Rodion Sulyandziga described Indigenous participation in managing Bikin National Park. Vyacheslav Shadrin argued that protected areas must respect free, prior and informed consent, rather than displace communities. Environmental filmmaker Vyacheslav Krechetov addressed the impact of coal extraction.
The empty chair brought these issues together: meaningful participation is undermined when people who sustain Indigenous representation cannot attend because they are imprisoned.
Source: Indigenous Russia, 23 October 2026.
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