IWGIA Calls for the Release of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt
The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) has joined calls for the immediate release of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, who have been held in detention in Russia since December 2025.
In a statement published on its Facebook page, the organization recalls that on December 17, 2025, Russia launched a large-scale operation against Indigenous activists, during which Egereva and Leongardt were detained. They were charged in connection with alleged participation in a terrorist organization. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
IWGIA links the criminal prosecution of the two women to their peaceful human rights work and emphasizes:
“Defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights is not extremism and should never be criminalized.”
Daria Egereva is a member of the Selkup Indigenous people and co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC). She has repeatedly represented Indigenous Peoples’ interests at international climate negotiations.
Natalia Leongardt has worked for more than two decades on Indigenous rights, education, and support for Indigenous communities.
The organization called on people to join the international campaign in support of the two human rights defenders.
It was previously reported that Daria Egereva had been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Her nomination was submitted 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. According to Ravna, the nomination is intended to draw attention to the situation of Indigenous Peoples in Russia and other countries, the work of climate defenders, and growing pressure on civil society in Russia. The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be announced on October 9.
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