Pavel Sulyandziga Calls for the Release of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt at Climate Week NYC

On September 23, at the strategic gathering “Vision 2030: Indigenous Peoples and Transition Minerals Strategy Gathering,” held as part of Climate Week NYC, Pavel Sulyandziga, President of the Batani Foundation for the Development and Solidarity of Indigenous Peoples, addressed participants.

The gathering focuses on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of the global energy transition and growing demand for critical minerals. One of the topics on the agenda is the protection of land and environmental human rights defenders facing threats, criminalization, and shrinking civic space.

In his speech, Sulyandziga drew participants’ attention to the situation of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, Indigenous rights defenders who are currently detained in Russia.

“I asked to take the floor only to once again remind everyone about our friends, sisters, and colleagues — Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt. To our great regret, Daria and Natalia are in a Russian prison,” Sulyandziga said.

He reminded international participants of Egereva’s many years of work in the Indigenous Peoples’ movement and in the field of climate change. According to Sulyandziga, the charges brought against Egereva and Leongardt are not related to violent activities, but to their peaceful work defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“The charges officially brought against Daria contain absolutely no allegations that she committed any violent acts or called for them. In other words, Daria and Natalia are being prosecuted for entirely peaceful activities, including those they carried out within the framework of the UN,” he said.

Sulyandziga called on the international community to work for the release of both human rights defenders and to continue raising their cases at international forums, in parliaments, and with governments around the world.

He also spoke separately about the possibility of including Egereva and Leongardt in future lists for prisoner exchanges between Russia and Western countries.

“It is very important for us now to work with Western governments, first and foremost, so that both Daria and Natalia are included in these exchange lists. For this, we must speak about them at every international forum. We must speak about them in different parliaments and governments,” Sulyandziga emphasized.

According to him, contacts are already underway with European parliamentarians and the U.S. Congress regarding hearings dedicated to the case.

Sulyandziga also reminded participants of Daria Egereva’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and emphasized the importance of continued international attention to her case.

“I would like to appeal to you to remember this, not to forget it, and to speak about it on every platform,” he concluded.

The Vision 2030 strategic gathering in New York is aimed at developing a common action agenda to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of the energy transition. Key areas of discussion include self-determination and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), corporate and investor accountability, Indigenous Peoples’ participation in decision-making, and the protection of land and environmental human rights defenders.

IR