Katzarova Presents New Report on Systemic Repression in Russia to the UN General Assembly
On 26 October, a new report on the human rights situation in Russia was presented to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. Its author, UN Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova, entitled the document “‘Traitors to the Motherland’: The Russian Federation’s Strategy of Fear and Punishment to Eradicate Dissent at Home and Abroad.”
The report’s central conclusion is that repression in Russia has become institutionalised and militarised and that, in the Special Rapporteur’s assessment, the suppression of dissent at home and the war against Ukraine reinforce one another. Katzarova stresses that legislation on “foreign agents” and “undesirable organisations,” as well as provisions on terrorism, extremism, and state security, have become systematic instruments of stigmatisation and persecution.
Presenting the report to the General Assembly, Katzarova said that the “rule of fear” she had described in previous reports had become a routine method of governance and had acquired a transnational dimension. According to her, domestic repression and external aggression have effectively become part of a single policy.
According to the report, by early September 2026, 4,968 people were facing politically motivated criminal prosecution, and 2,178 of them were imprisoned. The average prison sentence in politically motivated cases rose from six years and seven months in 2021 to 11 years in 2026.
Katzarova paid particular attention to transnational repression — the persecution of critics of the Russian authorities outside the country. The report states that, after February 2022, the number of documented cases increased approximately eightfold each year on average, while the number of sentences handed down in absentia rose from four in 2022 to 157 in 2025. Among the mechanisms used, Katzarova identifies politically motivated criminal cases, extradition requests and the use of Interpol mechanisms, financial restrictions, and pressure on relatives.
Another of the report’s central findings concerns torture. The Special Rapporteur describes torture and ill-treatment in Russia as “widespread and systematic”, linking them to the state’s strategy of repression and continuing impunity. According to the report, at least 55 political prisoners have died in detention since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including at least six in 2026.
Persecution of Indigenous Rights Defenders
A separate section of the report addresses ethnic minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Katzarova notes that advocacy for their rights is increasingly classified by the Russian authorities as “terrorism” or “extremism,” while independent activists face persecution for criticising policies affecting land, cultural and language rights, and disproportionate military recruitment.
The report specifically names Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, who have been held in pre-trial detention since December 2025 on charges related to Aborigen Forum and, according to the document, could face up to 20 years in prison.
Katzarova also examines Egereva’s case in the section on reprisals for cooperation with the UN. The document states that the Selkup human rights defender was detained after returning from the UN climate conference and that her prosecution bears the hallmarks of retaliation for her engagement with United Nations mechanisms. Shor Indigenous rights defender Alexey Chispiyakov, who had previously addressed the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, was also targeted in the same operation.
In her written recommendations to the Russian authorities, the Special Rapporteur explicitly called on them to “end reprisals against individuals cooperating with the United Nations, release Daria Egereva and other detained Indigenous rights defenders, and ensure safe engagement with international mechanisms”.
Katzarova also recommends removing Indigenous organisations and other peaceful groups lawfully exercising their rights from Russia’s registers of “terrorists and extremists.”
During her concluding remarks to the Third Committee, Katzarova went beyond the wording of the written recommendations and called on the Russian authorities by name to release Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, end the persecution and intimidation of human rights defenders for cooperating with the UN, and begin engaging with her mandate.
What Katzarova Recommends to the International Community
Addressing UN Member States, Katzarova called on them to continue closely monitoring the human rights situation in Russia and to preserve evidence of violations in accordance with the standards required for future accountability mechanisms. She also recommends pursuing accountability for the crime of aggression and international crimes against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, including conflict-related sexual violence.
States are separately advised to protect human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, anti-war activists, conscientious objectors, and deserters from transnational repression and forced return, and to reject politically motivated Russian extradition requests, requests through Interpol, and requests through mutual legal assistance mechanisms. According to the recommendations, banks and compliance database providers should not automatically apply Russian restrictions and designations without an independent assessment.
The Special Rapporteur also called for continued diplomatic pressure, including targeted sanctions in response to human rights violations by Russian officials. Speaking at the General Assembly, Katzarova emphasised that these should include sanctions against judges, prosecutors, and other officials implicated in violations.
During the interactive dialogue, representatives of a number of states supported Katzarova’s mandate and expressed concern about repression, torture, and the persecution of independent journalists, human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, and critics of the Russian authorities abroad. At the same time, representatives of Iran, Nicaragua, Belarus, China, and several other states opposed the country mandate or criticised it as politicised.
Concluding her statement, Katzarova again called on Russia to release people imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights, repeal the repressive mechanisms of “foreign agents,” “undesirable organisations,” and wartime censorship, end torture, and investigate deaths in detention.
Source: Indigenous Russia, 26 October 2026.
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