She Was Not in the Room, but Her Place Was Still Hers

COP17 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is drawing to a close in Yerevan. Thousands of participants are heading home, negotiations are ending and meetings are closing. But for many Indigenous representatives, this conference will also be remembered for something else: an empty seat that remained occupied throughout.

Participants reserved a seat for Daria Egereva, who should have been at COP17 in Yerevan, taking part in the conference. On the back of a chair alongside the delegates was her portrait, bearing the word RESERVED.

Daria was not in that chair. But her place was still hers.

Her photograph was present at meetings alongside Indigenous representatives from around the world—a reminder of the person who should have been sitting there herself, speaking, meeting colleagues and taking part in discussions about the future of Indigenous Peoples and the protection of nature.

Today, Daria Egereva is not in Yerevan. She is detained in Moscow.

Detained alongside her is Natalia Leongardt, who spent many years helping Indigenous representatives participate in international processes.

But they were not forgotten at COP17.

Throughout the conference, Daria and Natalia’s names were heard again and again. People spoke about them at meetings and events and told colleagues and international experts about their cases. Indigenous representatives from different countries expressed solidarity with them.

Several actions in their support took place on the sidelines of COP17.

Their photographs appeared among portraits of environmental and human rights defenders during a silent procession commemorating those who have been killed, have gone missing or have been imprisoned because of their work.

At another action, conference participants again spoke about Daria and Natalia and called on others not to forget those who cannot be present at international forums themselves today.

And the chair bearing Daria’s portrait remained in the room.

This simple gesture became one of the conference’s most powerful symbols.

A person’s seat can be left empty. Their voice cannot.

In Yerevan, Indigenous delegates from around the world showed that they remember Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt. Their absence became visible precisely because their colleagues refused to let them become invisible.

Today, 30 October, is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions in Russia.

On this day, we remember those whose lives were shattered by state repression in the past. But remembering the past cannot be separated from what is happening today. As long as some people remain behind bars for their beliefs and public activities while others wait for them at home, political repression remains more than a page in history. Today, it is especially important to name those deprived of their freedom, speak about them and refuse to let them disappear from public view.

COP17 is ending. Delegates will leave the room, take away the nameplates and switch off the microphones. The RESERVED sign on the empty chair will disappear too.

But Daria and Natalia’s story will travel with conference participants to countries around the world.

And perhaps that is the empty seat’s most important meaning:

Daria should have been here.She was expected.She is remembered.And her place is still hers.

IR

Photos: IR.

Original article: Indigenous Russia, 30 October 2026.