For Immediate Release
August 1, 2026
Two years on from the prisoner exchange between Western states, Russia and Belarus on 1 August 2024, in which 16 political prisoners were released, the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) is calling for greater efforts on behalf of political prisoners in Russia: “The Indigenous human rights defenders Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt have been detained in Russia since 17 December 2025 and are charged with alleged terrorism. The women are innocent, the proceedings are politically motivated, and the potential prison sentences are draconian,” explains Sarah Reinke, Head of Human Rights Work at the GfbV.
“The German government and others must press strongly for their release. The prisoner exchange two years ago showed that tough negotiations can be successful. But this requires public pressure and political will. The next hearing is scheduled for August 5 in Moscow. It concerns the extension of their pre-trial detention. The days leading up to it should be used to step up diplomatic initiatives,” urges Reinke.
Egereva is co-chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC). Leongardt has been campaigning for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Russia for over 20 years. Both have played a key role in strengthening the dialogue between Indigenous communities and international forums, such as at the UN level. “It appears that these two women are now to be punished for this work. They face up to 20 years’ imprisonment under appalling conditions. The international community must urgently prevent this,” demands Reinke.
According to the human rights organization OWD-Info, more than 2,100 people are currently detained in Russia for political reasons. Among them are many members of minority groups and Indigenous Peoples. Daria Egereva belongs to the Selkup people, one of Russia’s smallest Indigenous Peoples with a population of around 3,500. The Indigenous Peoples of Siberia, the Arctic, and the Far East are among the country’s poorest and most politically marginalized groups, with no effective mechanisms in place to protect their rights.
“Russia’s recent complaint that Western states are using the issue of Indigenous Peoples as a means of exerting pressure does, however, show that political and public pressure from the West is having an impact in Moscow. The release of Egereva and Leongardt must therefore be a high priority for the German government; those responsible must explore all possibilities for a prisoner exchange.”
The August 1, 2024-exchange demonstrates that this tool works and must be used to free innocent defenders of Russia's Indigenous Peoples.
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