UN Demands End to Persecution of Indigenous Rights Defenders Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt

Daria Egereva, a representative of the Selkup indigenous people and climate activist, has been held in a pre-trial detention center for nearly six months on charges of "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization." Human rights defender Natalia Leongardt is charged in the same case. Both face between 10 and 20 years in prison.

• The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change has retained Egereva as its co-chair until her release, while ten UN special procedures simultaneously sent an appeal to the Russian authorities regarding the cases of Egereva and Leongardt.

• In an interview with DOXA, lawyer Olga Podoplelova and a member of the support group stated that they consider the charges politically motivated and link the persecution to the activists' international work within UN structures and their efforts to protect indigenous rights.

On June 8, the UN's June climate negotiations began in Bonn, Germany — one of the key preparatory stages for the COP31 conference. At the meeting, participating states are expected to discuss how to translate already-adopted climate commitments into concrete measures grounded in human rights.

However, one participant was absent from the delegations. Daria Egereva, a representative of the Selkup indigenous people, indigenous leader, and climate activist, has been held in a Russian pre-trial detention center for nearly six months. She was detained on December 17, 2025, shortly after returning from the UN climate conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

On June 9, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change decided to retain Egereva as one of the organization's three co-chairs until her unconditional release. The activist's support group informed DOXA of this decision.

Criminal Case and International Support

Daria Egereva was detained during a large-scale wave of searches and interrogations that affected at least 17 indigenous activists in various Russian regions. Human rights defender Natalia Leongardt, who has spent over twenty years protecting indigenous rights, is charged in the same case.

Daria Egereva, Memorial

Both are charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code — "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization." If convicted, they face between 10 and 20 years in prison.

According to human rights defenders, in recent years Russian law enforcement has focused particular attention on activists engaged in international advocacy, interacting with UN structures, and raising issues of indigenous rights violations at the international level.

On June 6, ten UN special procedures simultaneously sent an appeal to the Russian authorities regarding the cases of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leonhardt. Such a move is considered rare within the UN system of independent experts. The document was co-signed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, as well as mandate holders on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, counter-terrorism, women's rights, climate change, and the right to a healthy environment.

Natalia Leongardt, photo by Olga Podoplelova

The appeal only became public now: the Russian authorities did not respond within the procedure's 60-day timeframe.

The next hearing on the extension of the detention of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt is scheduled for June 11 at 5:45 PM in Moscow's Basmanny District Court.

Why Authorities Accuse Daria Egereva of Terrorism

According to the investigation, Daria Egereva participated in the activities of the "Aborigen Forum" — an informal association of experts on indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East. Its structure included the Center for Assistance to Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, which the activist represented.

In July 2025, Russian authorities declared the "Aborigen Forum" part of a non-existent "Anti-Russian Separatist Movement," and later added it to the list of "terrorist organizations," linking it to the "Forum of Free States of Post-Russia." However, the Center for Assistance to Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, where Egereva worked, was not included in any of these lists.

In February 2026, over thirty organizations from various countries sent an open letter to Vladimir Putin demanding Egereva's release. Signatories included the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, the Indigenous World Association, and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Caucus on Climate Change.

The authors of the appeal reminded that Egereva participated in the UN climate conferences COP28, COP29, and COP30, where she facilitated dialogue between indigenous representatives and state delegations.

"Her role was strictly coordinative and facilitative in nature," the letter emphasizes.

The signatories also noted that the activist's activities were always peaceful and institutional in nature, focused on climate, biodiversity, and indigenous rights protection.

What the Support Group Says

In an interview with DOXA, Daria Egereva's lawyer Olga Podoplelova noted that the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change's decision to retain Egereva as co-chair is significant not only for the activist herself but also for the entire international indigenous movement.

According to Podoplelova, the community thus responded to an attempt to push one of its leaders out of the public sphere.

"Typically, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change has two co-chairs. After Daria's arrest, they could have simply replaced her and moved on. But the Forum chose to preserve her status. This step alone speaks volumes. Daria has become an invisible co-chair — a reminder that repression does not erase her leadership, reputation, contribution to indigenous rights protection, or the trust of the international community," the lawyer said.

A member of Daria Egereva's support group offered a similar assessment in an interview with DOXA. She recalls that the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change is an official association of indigenous representatives from around the world that allows indigenous peoples to jointly advocate for their rights at the international level.

"The Forum's decision to retain Daria as co-chair until her release is a very strong and politically courageous move. For us, Daria's colleagues and indigenous representatives, this is a serious sign that the international community continues to make efforts for her release. This means Daria's name will be regularly mentioned at Forum meetings and sessions until she is free. We feel solidarity and support from indigenous peoples around the world, and this gives us strength to continue the fight for human rights and secure the release of Daria and Natalia," she said.

Why the Charges Are Considered Politically Motivated

Commenting on the charges against Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, Podoplelova emphasized that the support group considers them unfounded and politically motivated.

"Daria's and Natalia's many years of work protecting indigenous rights and advancing the environmental agenda have nothing to do with violence or terrorism. The real reason for the persecution lies precisely in their active civic and international activities," she noted.

According to the lawyer, articles on "extremism" and "terrorism" are increasingly used by Russian authorities as tools of pressure on independent activists and civil society institutions.

"Unfortunately, extremism and terrorism charges have long been used in Russia not to combat real violence, but increasingly as a tool of pressure on independent activists and civil society. It is in this context that we view the 'Aborigen Forum' case," Podoplelova said.

A member of the support group also called the charges entirely fabricated.

"We categorically disagree with the terrorism-related charges. They are contrived and false. Daria has always conducted her human rights work exclusively through peaceful and diplomatic methods, using only non-violent and lawful instruments," she said.

In her opinion, the criminal prosecution is primarily linked to Egereva's international work within UN structures.

"Daria is an authoritative human rights defender with many years of experience. We believe this case is connected precisely to her international activities. At the same time, it serves as a tool to intimidate other indigenous rights defenders — to make people afraid to participate in UN platforms and speak openly about problems. The authorities want to show that no one is protected and that any undesirable person can end up behind bars," the DOXA source said.

UN Response and International Pressure

According to the lawyer, the appeal from ten UN special procedures regarding the cases of Egereva and Leongardt is also of particular importance.

"The most crucial support for Daria and Natalia right now is international monitoring, publicity, and solidarity. The joint appeal from ten UN experts is a very strong signal. Such cases are rare and show that the case of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt raises serious international concern," she noted.

At the same time, Podoplelova emphasized that such mechanisms cannot directly influence the Russian authorities' decisions, but they help document violations and raise the cost of further persecution.

"The UN cannot free a person with a single letter, but such appeals document violations and raise the political and reputational cost of further pressure on the accused," the lawyer concluded.

A member of the support group believes that the international response remains one of the most important tools of support.

"The international community can help by spreading information about the arrest of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt and raising awareness of what is happening. It is very important that the global community has a real picture of what is happening in Russia. We also call on other states to exert political pressure on the Russian authorities to stop violating human rights and release these innocent women as soon as possible," she said.

The source