CIEL Voices Support for Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has published a LinkedIn post about Daria Egereva’s nomination for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The organization highlights the connection between Indigenous Peoples’ rights, climate action, traditional knowledge, and meaningful community participation in decision-making.

Daria’s nomination was submitted in January by former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya and Øyvind Ravna, a professor at UiT — The Arctic University of Norway. As CIEL notes, the nomination aims to draw attention to the situation of Indigenous Peoples, those working to address climate change, and the persecution of independent voices in Russia.

The organization emphasizes that the nomination comes amid Daria’s continued detention and criminal prosecution. She is accused of participating in a “terrorist organization” and faces up to 20 years in prison. CIEL places her situation in the broader context of the risks faced by human rights and Indigenous rights defenders.

The post concludes with a direct appeal: “Free Daria. Free Natalia.”

For those following the fate of our human rights defenders, such appeals matter. They sustain attention to the case and remind the international community of the people whose work has been devoted to protecting their peoples, lands, and future.

Source: CIEL’s LinkedIn post.

Free Daria and Natalia!