Human Rights Defenders Submit Report to the UN on the Situation of Indigenous Women in Russia
Four human rights organizations have submitted a parallel report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on the situation of women from the Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of Russia. The document was prepared for the 93rd session of the Committee, which will take place in Geneva from 5 to 30 October 2026.
The report was prepared by the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia (ICIPR), Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial, the Institute for Ecology and Action Anthropology (INFOE), and North Women. The document focuses on Russia’s implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and supplements the Russian Federation’s tenth periodic report.
The authors state that since the Committee’s previous review of the situation in Russia in 2021, the situation of Indigenous women has “sharply deteriorated.” Among the main problems they identify are the persecution of women human rights defenders, the weakening of independent Indigenous institutions, the consequences of war and mobilization, limited participation of women in decision-making, the impact of extractive industries and climate change, and problems with access to traditional lands, healthcare and education. Separate sections address the federal registry of persons belonging to Indigenous small-numbered peoples and the lack of detailed state statistics.
A significant part of the report focuses on the “Aborigen Forum” case. The authors report that on 17 December 2025, searches were conducted at the homes of at least 17 Indigenous activists in Moscow, St Petersburg, the Altai and Sakha (Yakutia) republics, and Kemerovo and Tomsk regions. According to the report, nine of the 17 activists subjected to persecution were women. In Moscow, Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt were detained and have remained in pre-trial detention ever since.
The authors note that Daria Egereva, a member of the Selkup people, has participated in international work to defend Indigenous rights for more than 20 years, including within UNFCCC, LCIPP, EMRIP and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues processes. She was detained shortly after returning from the COP30 climate conference in Belém. Natalia Leongardt has also worked for more than 20 years to defend Indigenous rights, including through human rights education, documenting violations and building the capacity of activists.
Egereva and Leongardt have been charged under Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, which provides for lengthy prison sentences for participation in the activities of an organization designated as terrorist. The authors of the parallel report link the criminal prosecution of the women to their environmental and human rights work and propose that CEDAW ask the Russian authorities to explain the grounds for applying this article to women human rights defenders working for Indigenous rights.
The report also discusses other Indigenous women activists and journalists who have faced searches and pressure. The authors state that some of them were forced to leave Russia.
A separate extensive section addresses the consequences of the war for Indigenous communities. The authors provide data on the disproportionately high mobilization of Indigenous men. In particular, in the village of Andryushkino in Nizhnekolymsky District of Yakutia, where most residents belong to Indigenous peoples, 72 men were mobilized. According to data cited in the report, at least 22 of them were killed. Those mobilized accounted for approximately 17% of the village’s entire male population.
According to the authors, the consequences fall particularly heavily on women: they become the sole breadwinners of their families, take on additional responsibility for children, elderly relatives and wounded family members, while the loss of men disrupts traditional livelihoods and the transmission of knowledge. The document also discusses risks of poverty, forced displacement from traditional territories, and the loss of language and culture.
Another issue is access to land and natural resources. The authors note that Russian legislation does not establish a legally binding principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for Indigenous peoples and argue that existing mechanisms do not adequately protect communities when industrial projects are implemented. The consequences of losing access to traditional food sources and natural resources, the report emphasizes, directly affect women and their families.
In its conclusion, the authors propose that CEDAW put ten questions to the Russian authorities. These include the protection of women human rights defenders from persecution for peaceful activities; the consequences of mobilization and war for Indigenous women; the introduction of a legally binding FPIC mechanism; combating domestic violence; independent participation of women in decision-making; access to healthcare and education in Indigenous languages; and removing obstacles to the inclusion of women in the Indigenous registry.
The authors also propose that the Committee ask Russia what measures have been taken to implement the 2021 CEDAW recommendations concerning Indigenous women and within what timeframe the authorities intend to implement the outstanding recommendations. According to the authors of the parallel report, the Committee’s previous recommendations in this area have not been implemented to date.
Background:
The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is an international treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and entering into force on 3 September 1981. It requires states to take measures to eliminate discrimination against women and ensure equality in the political, public, economic, social, cultural and family spheres. Implementation of the Convention is monitored by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women, to which States Parties submit periodic reports. There are currently 189 States Parties to the Convention. Russia is a party to the Convention: the USSR signed it on 17 July 1980 and ratified it on 23 January 1981.
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