UN Holds Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia
Updated: 4 days ago
“Human rights cannot be traded away. Speaking truth to power is not betrayal. It is not a crime.” These words were heard at the UN during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia.
On 26 October, UN Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova presented to the General Assembly’s Third Committee a new report, “‘Traitors to the Motherland’: The Russian Federation’s Strategy of Fear and Punishment to Eradicate Dissent at Home and Abroad.” The document examines intensifying repression within Russia and the persecution of critics of the Russian authorities beyond its borders.
The presentation of the report was followed by an interactive dialogue involving representatives of UN Member States, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives. Speakers included Mikhail Zygar, Pavel Sulyandziga, Olga Romanova, and Artyom Klyga.
The discussion focused on political repression in Russia and the persecution of critics of the Russian authorities abroad. Particular attention was paid to the situation of human rights defenders and the cases of Indigenous rights defenders Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt.
Mariana Katzarova said that repression against dissenters was no longer confined to Russian territory.
“‘Traitors to the Motherland’ are punished by the Russian Federation not only within the country, but also when they are in exile, outside its borders, abroad,” Katzarova said.
The Special Rapporteur specifically named Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, who have been in custody since December 2025.
“Today you will hear the names of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt. They face a lengthy term behind bars. We stand with them,” Katzarova said.
She connected these developments to a broader policy of suppressing independent voices:
“It all begins with repression within the country, opposition to the war is suppressed, and then it is extended beyond its borders to persecute people abroad.”
Pavel Sulyandziga — a human rights defender, Indigenous representative, and founder and president of the Batani International Fund — spoke in greater detail about the cases of Egereva and Leongardt. He recalled that Egereva represented the Selkup people in international forums, while Leongardt had spent many years defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights and engaging with UN mechanisms.
“There is no violence in their case, no incitement to it, and no weapons. There are reports, statements, and negotiations. […] If this is terrorism, then almost everyone in this room is a terrorist according to Russia,” Sulyandziga said.
In his view, the case against the two Indigenous rights defenders serves a broader purpose:
“The purpose of this case against Daria and Natalia is not only to punish them. It is also to silence all independent Indigenous representatives and put compliant people in their place.”
As an example, Sulyandziga cited COP17 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan. According to him, while official representatives were speaking at an international forum about the well-being of Indigenous Peoples in Krasnoyarsk Krai, a food crisis was unfolding in Evenkia.
“When independent voices are in prison, the international community hears only the official picture presented by representatives of the Russian government and RAIPON,” Sulyandziga said.
He urged representatives of foreign states to pay closer attention to who receives funding for Indigenous participation in UN events, so that resources intended to support independent representation are not used by organisations and speakers loyal to the Russian authorities.
Responding to a question from a European Union representative about how Indigenous human rights defenders have to work under current conditions, Sulyandziga said that the designation of the Batani Fund as an “undesirable organisation” had created additional difficulties. Independent activists, however, continue to seek ways to cooperate and take part in international work.
“I can say one thing: we have many friends,” Sulyandziga said.
Partner organisations, he said, are willing to help independent activists continue their international work, so it does not necessarily have to be conducted directly in Batani’s name.
Sulyandziga also noted the solidarity shown by Indigenous representatives from other regions of the world. Through international cooperation, independent Indigenous leaders and activists from Russia continue to serve in various international Indigenous bodies.
He stressed that, despite the risks, activists who remain in Russia themselves insist on continuing cooperation.
“When repression intensified in Russia, we said: perhaps we should stop cooperating, because it is very dangerous for people in Russia to do all this. But they told us: if you stop supporting us, we will consider that you have abandoned us, because we will continue doing this anyway.”
Sulyandziga again appealed to representatives of states funding international Indigenous initiatives to monitor more closely how these funds are allocated.
“It is very important that you ensure your resources do not go to Indigenous representatives who are accountable to the Russian government.”
According to Sulyandziga, an analysis by his colleagues of such representatives’ statements within the UN system found that almost all of them, in one form or another, advocate lifting sanctions against Russian businesspeople, claiming that the sanctions negatively affect Indigenous Peoples.
“We have just carried out an analysis: 99% of their statements within the UN system end with requests to lift sanctions against Russian oligarchs, because supposedly this has a very negative impact on Indigenous Peoples. It is clear why they speak this way: their sponsors are those same Russian oligarchs,” Sulyandziga said.
During the interactive dialogue, Katzarova addressed representatives of UN Member States. In her report, she called on the international community to monitor the human rights situation in Russia, preserve evidence of violations for future accountability, and protect human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and anti-war activists from transnational repression and forced return.
Katzarova also recommended that states reject politically motivated Russian extradition requests and requests through Interpol, and maintain diplomatic pressure, including targeted sanctions against Russian officials responsible for human rights violations.
@IR
Source: Indigenous Russia, 26 October 2026.
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