Not Only Daria: Why the Prosecution of Indigenous Rights Defenders Has Become More Than One Case

Sevr Nuu

Until recently, the case of Daria Egereva was viewed as one of the most prominent examples of pressure against Indigenous representatives in Russia. Her name became known far beyond the country’s borders: international organizations, human rights advocates, climate activists, and Indigenous representatives around the world spoke out in her support, calling for the release of the activist detained on charges of participation in a terrorist organization.

However, it has now become known that Daria is not the only woman held in pre-trial detention following the large-scale raids and arrests carried out on 17 December 2025. Alongside her remains another activist — Natalia Leongardt. Her name was withheld from the public for some time, but her detention has now become known to international human rights structures and media outlets.

This changes the perception of the entire case.

No Longer an Isolated Incident

When only one activist faces criminal prosecution, authorities can portray the case as an individual episode tied to “specific circumstances.” But when two women involved in Indigenous rights advocacy are arrested in the same operation, it becomes much harder to describe it as coincidence.

The cases of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt point to a broader pattern: pressure is being applied not to a single individual, but to an entire network of independent Indigenous representatives engaged in civic, environmental, and international advocacy.

That is what makes the situation especially alarming.

Who Are Daria and Natalia

Daria Egereva is a representative of the Selkup Indigenous people, a human rights defender, and climate activist who for many years represented Indigenous interests at international platforms, including UN climate negotiations and other global forums. Her work focused on Indigenous rights, Indigenous women’s rights, climate change, biodiversity conservation, protection of traditional ways of life, and Indigenous participation in decision-making affecting their lands and future.

Natalia Leongardt is also known for her civic and international work. Under her administrative and organizational leadership at the Russian Indigenous Training Centre, numerous educational programs were implemented. An important part of her work involved international exchanges and training initiatives, including cooperation projects between Russian regions and Indigenous peoples of the Nordic countries, as well as programs aimed at strengthening the capacity of Indigenous organizations through engagement with international partners.

Her civic engagement and participation in international forums were likewise connected to advancing Indigenous rights at the global level.

Both women are defendants in the same criminal case linked to alleged involvement with “Aborigen Forum,” an association of independent experts advocating for the rights of Russia’s Indigenous small-numbered peoples that Russian authorities designated as extremist and terrorist.

Human rights advocates emphasize that both women were engaged in non-violent civic activity and that their prosecution is connected to their human rights and international advocacy work.

According to UN experts, Russian authorities have systematically used anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to prosecute civil society activists, human rights defenders, and anti-war voices.

An Internationally Familiar Pattern

Although each state uses its own mechanisms of repression, the logic of what is happening is familiar to the international community.

In many countries, Indigenous women who become visible leaders and international representatives of their peoples face discrediting campaigns, criminalization, and repression.

In Brazil, Indigenous leader and current Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara was for years accused of undermining national interests because of her advocacy for Amazonian Indigenous peoples in international forums.

In Honduras, environmental activist and Lenca Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres faced criminal prosecution and public vilification for opposing the construction of a hydroelectric dam — before she was murdered in 2016.

In the Philippines, the government placed former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz on a “terrorist” list, accusing her of links to insurgents following her international human rights work.

In Canada, leaders of the Idle No More movement — many of them Indigenous women — were subjected to surveillance by state security agencies after mass mobilization in defense of Indigenous rights.

Different countries. Different political systems. Different laws.

But the same reaction: When Indigenous women become too visible, too independent, and too heard, states begin to treat them not as participants in dialogue, but as a problem.

From Individual Cases to the Right to Be Heard

The case of Daria Egereva has already become a symbol of the struggle for Indigenous peoples’ right to participate in shaping their own future. But with the disclosure of Natalia Leongardt’s detention, it is now clear that this is no longer about one activist alone.

It raises a more fundamental question: can Indigenous rights defenders in modern Russia engage in independent civic work, participate in international processes, and openly speak about the issues facing their peoples without risking criminal prosecution?

International organizations, UN bodies, and Indigenous movements worldwide have already expressed concern over Daria Egereva’s case. Now another question inevitably arises: if two women are being held in detention on similar grounds, can this still be described as an isolated case?

Why This Matters to Everyone

These cases may be viewed as the stories of two individual activists. But in reality, they concern much more than that.

When criminal prosecution becomes a risk for those defending Indigenous rights, speaking about climate, nature, language, or traditional ways of life, it affects everyone.

Because gradually, the very possibility of independent civic participation is put into question.

The stories of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt are not merely the stories of two women in detention.

They are stories about what happens when the right of Indigenous peoples to be heard begins to be treated as a threat.

That is why their release is no longer only a matter of personal justice — it is a fundamental question about the future of independent Indigenous voices.

#FreeDariaAndNatalia