For Immediate Release
April 20, 2026
At the UN, Over 100 organizations Call for the Immediate Release of Indigenous Rights Activists from Russian Jail, While 70 Indigenous Groups and Allies Write to Putin Directly: “Speaking out is not a crime!”
New York, NY-- Today, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues started with a clear message from Indigenous Groups and Human Rights organizations calling for an “immediate and unconditional release of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt”. Natalia and Daria are charged with "participating in the activities of a terrorist organization" under Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code. This charge carries a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years.
Over 100 human rights and environmental organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights, Amnesty International, the Center for International Environmental Law, and Greenpeace, have called on Russian authorities to drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, as well as all detained Indigenous human rights defenders. They also “call on all other States to unequivocally condemn the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders and Indigenous leaders in Russia, and to exert their diplomatic leverage to push for an end to these arbitrary detentions.”
Over 70 Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and allies signed a letter to Putin, urging the Russian President “to uphold its international human rights obligations, including those related to freedom of expression, association, and participation in public affairs.” The letter said that detention of Ms. Egereva and Ms. Leongardt “represents a broader threat to the protection of human rights defenders and the ability of Indigenous Peoples to participate in shaping our shared future.”
Daria Egereva is an ethnic Selkup, a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), a co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), and a long-standing participant in the international indigenous rights movement. Natalia Leongardt is an experienced Russian human rights defender, Daria's colleague, and a specialist in supporting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, with 20 years of her professional life dedicated to this work.
Alongside statements, the report “The Crime of Being Indigenous” came out today, showcasing the heightened repression and pressure by the Russian authorities against leaders of small-numbered Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East. The report documents reprisals from 2019 to 2026 and identifies key patterns.
Alicia Moncada (Wayuu), Cultural Survival Director of Advocacy and Communications, stated, “Daria Egereva was arbitrarily detained for doing exactly what the world asks of Indigenous leaders: engaging peacefully in international forums to defend her people's future. Her continued detention is a direct attack on Indigenous Peoples' right to participate in global decision-making. We call on all states to demand her immediate and unconditional release.”
Luda Kinok (Yupik from Chukotka), Rights Activists from Russia, stated, "I am Yupik from Chukotka, Russia. There are approximately 1,600 of us left. I know what it means to belong to a people whose continued existence the world has not yet decided to protect. The Selkup people number fewer than 3,500. Daria Egereva spent her life making sure that number was known in the rooms where it might matter. Russia lists endangered species in its Red Book, like the Siberian tiger, and protects them under law, as it should. We ask only for the same coherence: that speaking for a people on the edge of disappearance should not be treated as a crime. I stand with Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt. I call for their immediate and unconditional release.”
Camilla Pollera, Program Associate, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) shared, "CIEL joins more than 100 civil society organizations in strongly condemning the arbitrary detention of Indigenous leader Daria Egereva and human rights defender Natalia Leongardt for their peaceful work defending human rights and the environment. Charging them with ‘terrorism’ is not justice - it's a clear attack on those who stand up for Indigenous rights and climate action. Their work reflects the courage of countless defenders, especially women, who face disproportionate repression for challenging environmental harm and demanding accountability. When defenders are targeted, it undermines the integrity of global climate efforts and sets a dangerous precedent. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Daria and Natalia with all charges dropped - because there can not be climate justice without human rights.”
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