A Russian court is continuing to hold an international advocate for Indigenous peoples on terrorism charges despite international calls to release her immediately.
Daria Egereva, who is Indigenous Selkup from Russia, is co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, which represents Indigenous peoples’ perspectives at United Nations gatherings. She was arrested by Russian authorities on Dec. 17, just weeks after returning from the COP30 climate conference in Belém, where she advocated for greater participation of Indigenous women in climate negotiations.
Last week, the Basmanny court, a district court in Moscow, held a hearing where it decided to continue holding Egereva until at least March 15. Egereva is one of two Indigenous advocates jailed and could face up to 20 years in prison. The name of the second Indigenous advocate jailed has not yet been made public, according to one of Egereva’s attorneys. Egereva’s court hearing was also closed to the public, and court documents with details about the charges are sealed. The Basmanny District Court of Moscow did not respond to an email seeking comment.
“The detention of Daria Egereva raises concerns about arbitrary detention and the application of counterterrorism legislation against those exercising their fundamental freedoms,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. He declined to say whether the U.N. is working diplomatically to release her.
“People must never face criminal prosecution for engaging in advocacy or exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression,” Al-Kheetan said. “Egereva and all those detained for exercising their human rights must be released immediately.”
In addition to her leadership of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change since 2023 and participation in multiple climate change conference gatherings, Egereva worked on climate policy as a member of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, and participated in the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Arrest and persecution of U.N. advocates are common across the globe. Every year, Al-Kheetan’s office publishes a report of alleged intimidation and reprisals against people who participate in the U.N. system. The report covering incidents from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025 described dozens of examples across 32 different countries, including China, Israel, and Thailand. The report emphasizes that its data is not comprehensive; some incidents were excluded because of concern that those named might face further persecution.
Russia, in particular, has been criticized by the U.N. for its treatment of Indigenous advocates. “We are concerned by reports that Indigenous activists in Russia have faced detention for their human rights work,” Al-Kheetan said.
In October 2024, the U.N. Human Rights Council urged the country to uphold international human rights law, calling out its designation of 55 Indigenous organizations and other groups as “extremist.” Among the groups considered extremist by the Russian government are the Aborigen Forum network and the Centre for the Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North, both groups of Indigenous rights advocates that Egereva was involved with before they were shut down by Russian authorities.
Prior to last week’s hearing, nearly three dozen Indigenous organizations and U.N. forums signed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting her release. “Her work contributed to constructive, respectful, and peaceful dialogue between Indigenous peoples and state delegations,” the letter said. “Her role was strictly coordinative and facilitative in nature, supporting orderly engagement within official negotiation processes.”
The letter’s signatories included groups like the Indigenous Peoples Rights International, which recently spoke out on Indigenous peoples facing arbitrary arrests as they defend their territories and called for better monitoring and reporting on their detentions and criminalizations. “We monitor carbon and restored forests — but not the Indigenous defenders who are killed, jailed, or criminalized,” said the organization’s executive director, Joan Carling, at the U.N. Environment Assembly in December. One tally by the organization Global Witness estimated more than 700 Indigenous environmental defenders “were killed or disappeared” according to data collected between 2012 and 2024.
Under Putin, Russia has outwardly supported Indigenous peoples by creating an official Day of Indigenous Minorities. But according to the International Working Group of Indigenous Affairs, Putin’s government has also eroded Indigenous rights by eliminating official recognition of some Indigenous territories, shutting down Indigenous organizations, and driving activists to seek asylum abroad.
“Ms. Egereva’s activities were exclusively professional, nonviolent, and institutional in nature, firmly grounded in dialogue and cooperation, and conducted in full accordance with officially recognized procedures,” the letter from Indigenous groups to Putin continued. “Her detention undermines confidence that Indigenous Peoples are able to fully participate in recognized international and United Nations processes without fear of retribution.”
