UN officials urge Russia to free Daria Egereva
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- UN officials wrote a letter urging Russia to immediately release Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, drop terrorism charges, and allow them to continue their human‑rights work; the letter was sent in April and made public last week.
- Daria Egereva, an Indigenous Selkup and co‑chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, was arrested on December 17 after returning from COP30 and has been jailed for six months on terrorism charges.
- Natalia Leongardt, a former UN intern who runs educational programs for Indigenous peoples, was arrested alongside Egereva on the same terrorism charges linked to their past involvement in the now‑shut‑down Aborigen Forum.
- International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change voted to extend Egereva’s term as a third co‑chair, an unprecedented move to show solidarity with her detention.
- Russian authorities have not responded to the UN officials’ letter, and the two activists face a court hearing on Thursday in Moscow where they could receive sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
- UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues saw more than 100 organizations call for the activists’ release at its April meeting in New York.
- Kate Finn, executive director of the Tallgrass Institute, said the Russian government’s terrorism framing misrepresents routine Indigenous advocacy that “Indigenous women do every day for the UN system.”
Why it matters: The activists’ continued detention threatens the ability of Indigenous peoples to participate in UN climate negotiations, while the UN’s pressure highlights growing international scrutiny of Russia’s crackdown on civil society; a release would preserve Indigenous advocacy and maintain Russia’s compliance with human‑rights norms.
