Russia is facing pressure from United Nations officials to free the Indigenous climate activist Daria Egereva and her colleague Natalia Leongardt, who have been jailed for six months on terrorism charges linked to their advocacy work.
Egereva's prominence has helped turn the case into an international flashpoint: she is both a leading Indigenous figure and a familiar participant in global climate negotiations.
According to Grist, Egereva — a Selkup Indigenous leader from Russia and one of the co-chairs of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change — was arrested alongside Leongardt on Dec. 17, shortly after returning from the COP30 climate conference.
Russian authorities accused the women of participating in a terrorist group because of earlier work with the Aborigen Forum, which Grist described as an informal network of Indigenous advocates that Russia shut down two years ago.
With an important court hearing in Moscow approaching, U.N. experts say the case looks more like retaliation for peaceful human rights work rather than a legitimate criminal prosecution.
In a letter from UN officials, the Russian government was asked to release the activists. The officials wrote, "We urge your Excellency's Government to immediately and unconditionally release Ms. Egereva and Ms. Leongardt from detention, to drop all charges against them as stemming from their peaceful human rights activities, and to ensure that they are able to continue their legitimate human rights work and their cooperation with the United Nations' bodies and mechanisms without fear of intimidation or reprisals."
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More than 100 organizations have also urged the women's release, and for the government to abandon seeking a conviction that could leave Egereva and Leongardt facing up to 20 years in prison.
Indigenous leaders often bring firsthand knowledge of land, water, and the effects of rising global temperatures to international negotiations. When those voices are silenced, climate discussions can lose perspectives that are critical to shaping effective decisions.
Officials have also warned that the prosecution could discourage other Indigenous advocates and human rights defenders from engaging with international institutions at all.
"We are concerned about the chilling effect on Indigenous advocacy, international cooperation and engagement with the United Nations, and human rights defenders' work that their prosecution is prone to generate," the letter explains.
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