Ravna announced the nomination on his Facebook page. According to him, the nomination is intended 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 parts of the world — to those who are fighting climate change — as well as to the suppression of opposition in Russian civil society,” Ravna said.

Daria Egereva is a representative of the Selkup people and one of the Russian activists who have worked internationally for many years on Indigenous 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 within the UN climate process. Her work has focused on Indigenous rights, climate change, the preservation of traditional knowledge, and ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ participation in decision-making.

The nomination was submitted after Egereva’s arrest. On December 17, 2025, she was detained as part of a series of searches and investigative actions targeting Indigenous rights activists in Russia. Human rights defender Natalia Leongardt was detained at the same time. Egereva has been charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code — participation in the activities of an organization designated as terrorist in Russia.

In April 2026, the case of Egereva and Leongardt became the subject of a joint communication by ten UN Special Procedures mandate holders to the Russian authorities. The experts expressed serious concern about their detention and prosecution. The communication specifically raised the question of whether the prosecution of Egereva could constitute an act of intimidation or reprisal linked to her engagement with the United Nations and its human rights mechanisms.

An international campaign in support of Egereva is also being conducted by human rights organizations. Her case has received broad attention among Indigenous representatives and on international platforms, where calls have been made for the release of Egereva and Leongardt and for an end to their prosecution.

One of the nominators, S. James Anaya, served as UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from 2008 to 2014 and is a leading scholar of international law and Indigenous rights. The second nominator, Øyvind Ravna, is a professor at the Faculty of Law at UiT — The Arctic University of Norway. His academic work includes Indigenous rights, land relations and natural-resource governance in Sápmi.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee neither confirms nor denies information about individual nominees. Under the Committee’s rules, information about nominations and nominators remains confidential for 50 years. Therefore, information about Daria Egereva’s nomination is based on a public statement by one of the nominators, Professor Ravna. The Nobel Institute specifically emphasizes that a publicly announced nomination does not constitute an endorsement of the candidate by the Nobel Committee.

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be announced on October 9 in Oslo. The Norwegian Nobel Committee traditionally announces its decision at 11:00 Central European Time. The award ceremony will take place on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

Daria Egereva’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize connects her case with several international issues — the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, action on climate change, the safety of human rights defenders and environmental activists, and the protection of those who engage with UN human rights mechanisms. Against the backdrop of her ongoing prosecution, the nomination provides another opportunity to draw international attention to the situation of Indigenous rights defenders in Russia.