BONN, Germany — The International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) on June 9, 2026, reaffirmed Daria Egereva as a Co-Chair, stating she would retain the position until her release. The Indigenous Peoples' Caucus, operating within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), made the decision during the UN Climate Change Conference (SB64) in Bonn.
Egereva, a Selkup Indigenous human rights defender from Russia's Tomsk region, has served as Co-Chair of the IIPFCC since 2023. She was taken into custody on December 17, 2025, and formally detained the following day. Authorities accused her of involvement with a “terrorist organization,” a designation that carries a possible prison term of 10 to 20 years.
Her arrest occurred days after she returned to Russia from COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where she had coordinated the participation of accredited Indigenous Peoples. Her detention is broadly interpreted as reprisal for years of advocating for Indigenous rights.
By confirming Egereva in her leadership capacity rather than replacing her, the Caucus signaled that her voice, her mandate, and her standing among Indigenous Peoples cannot be diminished by imprisonment. Cultural Survival, an advocacy group, welcomed the decision, stating it affirmed that incarceration should not silence Indigenous voices.
Her continued detention demands immediate international scrutiny and calls for her unconditional release.
