Feedback The 9th of August is an annual occasion to draw attention to the needs of indigenous communities suffering from the consequences of colonization, the barbaric activities of mining companies, and the constant encroachment of the state and business on their traditional lands. In Russia, indigenous peoples and national minorities face racism, structural discrimination, and xenophobia; their rights are violated, including freedom of expression and association, the right to self-determination, and cultural rights.
During the last 40 years, international law and institutions in this field actively developed and became part of the global anti-colonial and human rights agenda. Finally, the international community has come to an understanding of the value of the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and the fragility of their natural habitat, inseparable, in fact, from their culture and way of life. It was recognized that it is finally necessary to provide Indigenous peoples with “development, peace and security, and human rights that too many have been denied for too long”, as it was said on the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (2005).
This year, Russia “celebrates” the Day of Indigenous Peoples with the unprecedented criminalization of indigenous activism. At once, 55 organizations were included in the list of “extremists”, being declared by the Ministry of Justice as “structural units” of the non–existent “Anti-Russian separatist movement” – that, in its turn, was recognized as “extremist” and banned by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on June 7, 2024. Thus, both based in Russia and abroad, both formal and informal organizations and groups that promote the agenda of anti-colonialism, various kinds of emancipation, and the rights of national minorities found themselves in the register. Among them, there are the Aborigen Forum, an informal all-Russia network of activists of indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, the expert group Indigenous Russia, the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia (ICIPR). The latter was created by forcibly emigrated activists after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion to Ukraine; this groups is well-known for its uncompromising anti-war position.
3 statements of human rights organizations and initiatives against the recognition of extremist organizations defending the rights of indigenous peoples:
- A Statement of the International Committee of the Indigenous Peoples of Russia (ICIPR)
- A joint appeal of ICIPR, Indigenous Russia and Batani Foundation to the UN bodies (the appeal has already been supported by more than 100 organizations and activists from around the world).
- A joint statement by ADC Memorial and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.
For independent defenders of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Russia and persecuted activists from indigenous communities, the space for claiming the violations is more and more shrinking. In Russia, it is very difficult to counteract with the authorities. At the same time, Russia’s destructive influence and manipulations on international institutions of representation of indigenous peoples is growing. Russian propaganda is being articulated by loyal indigenous figures, while independent activists are prevented from entering international platforms and are being discredited.
A video statement about Russia’s negative influence on the UN structures on behalf of three activists from Buryatia and the Republic of Sakha who were not allowed to attend the session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in July 2024 in Geneva – read by Yana Tannagasheva from the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia.
The independent activists who were forced to leave Russia faced obstacles trying to speak at the session of the Expert Mechanism, although many times the floor was given to the Russian delegation and loyal representatives of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East (RAIPON). Meanwhile, the RAIPON cannot adequately represent the indigenous peoples of Russia, since it has lost its independence and has taken a completely pro–state position, including open support of the invasion to Ukraine, changing the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Putin’s nomination for a new term. The RAIPON is actively involved in lobbying for the interests of big businesses working in the territories where indigenous peoples live.
- The report of the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia (ICIPR) “RAIPON. From a nation-based change agent to a weapon of state-controlled propaganda.” This comprehensive analysis highlights significant concerns regarding RAIPON’s transformation and its current role as a vehicle for state propaganda.
- The report by Arctida, Verstka and 7×7 “They work for the benefit of those at the top.” How the Association of Indigenous Peoples became an enrichment and lobbying tool” reveals one more side of RAIPON’s activities – its dependence on business structures and lobbying in favor of big companies, its affiliation with the governing party and government agencies, corrupt ties of officials affiliated with RAIPON. The report emphasizes that through the statements of loyal representatives of indigenous peoples at the UN, the lifting of sanctions against Russian companies is being lobbied.
“Russia needs the natural resources of indigenous peoples’ lands. Selling them, the country earns billions of dollars to wage wars, maintain a high standard of living in the capital, generously feed the power structures and maintain the loyalty of the oligarch class and the elite. Unfortunately, some representatives of indigenous peoples fall under such influence. Such representatives of indigenous peoples are becoming an instrument of Russian propaganda.” – Yana Tannagasheva, International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia