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The following is a letter from Daria Egereva (Selkup), an Indigenous rights and environmental defender from Russia, who has been imprisoned since December 17, 2025, to her colleagues attending the the UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya, Turkey. Egereva has served as Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) since 2023.
 

My beloved sisters and brothers!

By Mara Moldovan (CS Intern)

For centuries, the Crimean Tatars have lived on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, where their language, traditions, and history are closely tied to the land.

But since Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014, many Crimean Tatars have been forced into exile or now live under occupation. Their situation raises a question that Europe still struggles to answer: what does it mean for an Indigenous People to defend identity, continuity, and political belonging when access to their homeland is disrupted by occupation and war?

UPDATE:   A closed-door hearing for the women was held on August 5 in Moscow City Court. Supporters and representatives of diplomatic missions were allowed into the courtroom only to hear the decision read. The women will remain detained until at least September 15, when the next court date is scheduled.

 

For Immediate Release
August 1, 2026

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