Daria Egereva has spent her life protecting people, culture and the environment. Born in Siberia and part of the Selkup Indigenous People – who number only around 3,500 – she trained as a teacher before becoming a respected advocate for Indigenous rights and climate justice. Friends describe her as warm, sociable and deeply compassionate. She loves reading and long walks outdoors, and often speaks about growing up in the taiga, surrounded by vast evergreen forests where she gathered berries with her family and built a life long connection with nature.
Today, Daria faces up to 20 years in prison for her peaceful human rights work. In December 2025, Russian authorities detained Daria and accused her of involvement with an Indigenous rights network they had labelled “terrorist”, even though her work focused on protecting Indigenous lands,languages and cultures.
Daria’s experience reflects a wider pattern in which accusations of “extremism” and “terrorism” are being used against activists, helping those in power silence independent voices and discourage others from speaking out. Yet Daria refused to abandon her values. Even when facing pressure and threats, she continued defending her people and their rights with courage and determination.
Call for the immediate and unconditional release of Daria Egereva and for an end to the repression of Indigenous activists exercising their rights across Russia.