Daria Egereva nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Daria Egereva, a human rights activist, advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples and environmentalist from the Russian Federation, who is of Selkup ethnicity, has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Her candidacy was put forward in January by S. James Anaya, former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, and Øyvind Ravna, a professor at the Norwegian Arctic University in Tromsø. Ravna announced the nomination on his Facebook page. He said that the aim of the nomination is to draw international attention not only to Egereva’s case, but also to the situation of indigenous peoples and environmental activists.
“We hope this will draw attention to the situation of indigenous peoples in Russia and other countries around the world – those who are fighting against climate change – and to the suppression of dissent within Russian civil society,” said Ravna. Daria Egereva is a representative of the Selkup people and a Russian activist who has worked internationally for many years in the fields of indigenous peoples’ rights and climate policy. She is co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), which represents the voices of indigenous peoples in the UN climate process. Her work focuses on defending the rights of indigenous peoples, climate change issues, preserving traditional knowledge and ensuring the participation of indigenous peoples in decision-making.
International concern
On 17 December 2025, she was detained as part of a series of searches and investigative measures targeting indigenous activists in Russia. Human rights activist Natalia Leonhardt was also detained alongside her. Egereva has been charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – participation in the activities of an organisation recognised as terrorist in Russia.
In April 2026, ten UN special procedure mandate holders submitted a joint appeal to the Russian authorities regarding the cases of Egereva and Leonhardt. The experts expressed serious concern over their detention and the criminal charges brought against them. The appeal raised the suspicion that the charges against Egereva constitute intimidation or retaliation for her activities at the UN and within its human rights mechanisms. Human rights organisations are currently leading an international campaign in support of Egereva. Her case has attracted widespread attention amongst indigenous peoples and in international forums, where calls have been made for the release of Egereva and Leonhardt and for the criminal charges against them to be dropped.
One of the initiators of the nomination, James Anaya, served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from 2008 to 2014 and is a recognised expert in international law and the rights of indigenous peoples. The second nominee, Øyvind Ravna, is a professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of the Arctic (UiT) in Norway. His research focuses primarily on the rights of indigenous peoples, land relations and the management of natural resources in Sápmi.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee neither confirms nor denies information regarding specific candidates for the prize. In accordance with the Committee’s rules, information concerning nominations and nominees remains confidential for 50 years. Therefore, the information regarding Daria Egereva’s nomination is based on a public announcement made by one of the nominators, Professor Ravna. The Nobel Institute itself specifically emphasises that the public announcement of a nomination does not necessarily imply the Nobel Committee’s endorsement of the candidate.
Nobel Peace Prize
The winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on 9 October in Oslo. The Norwegian Nobel Committee traditionally announces its decision at 11.00 Central European Time. The award ceremony will take place on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The nomination of Daria Egereva for the Nobel Peace Prize links her case to several international issues: the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights, the fight against climate change, the safety and protection of human rights defenders and environmental activists, and the protection of those who engage with international UN mechanisms. Amid the ongoing criminal proceedings, this nomination is yet another way of drawing the international community’s attention to the situation of defenders of indigenous peoples’ rights in the Russian Federation.
