Indigenous communities and repression
The STP is drawing attention to the increasing state repression in Russia and supporting its partners in situations where they experience it. Since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, this repression has intensified dramatically.
Indigenous identity, history, culture, religion and language are being structurally repressed in Russia. The Russian state decides which communities are considered Indigenous in the first place and sets the corresponding criteria. Among other things, they must follow a traditional way of life, practise traditional occupations and have no more than 50,000 members. This means that the Russian state is denying numerous communities their Indigenous identity and associated rights. It currently only recognises 46 communities as ‘small-numbered Indigenous peoples’. However, even the recognised communities are seeing their basic rights curtailed, as various international legal frameworks have no validity in Russia: The Russian state has neither ratified the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention nor agreed to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
There are many places in Russia where raw materials lie underground in Indigenous territories – and companies usually mine these without any regard for the communities living there. Indigenous organisations and individuals who campaign for the interests and rights of affected communities, in opposition to the interests of state-owned and state-affiliated companies, are discredited and even criminalised. The state has also taken control of the Indigenous peoples’ umbrella association RAIPON, thus undermining its independence.
Influence of the war
Amid the clamour of the brutal war in Ukraine, which violates international law, the fact that the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops has been accompanied by further intensification of repression against Indigenous communities in Russia is being largely overlooked. Under state and financial pressure, disproportionately many Indigenous men are finding themselves compelled to join the Russian army and fight for a country that is not only systematically restricting their rights, but also occupying and terrorising Indigenous territories in Ukraine.
In addition, the Duma, which is under the government’s control, has passed multiple laws since the start of the war: It is forbidden to even call it a war, for instance. This makes any critical reporting impossible. Independent media have had to cease their work, social media have been blocked and several human rights organisations have been banned. Moreover, since 2022, public criticism of state institutions has been punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Many human rights activists see themselves forced into exile.
What the STP is doing
The situation in Russia has driven some of the STP’s partners to flee the country. In exile, they have continued to campaign for the rights of Indigenous communities in Russia and founded the exile organisation ICIPR (International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia). The STP is providing ICIPR with support – not only with organisational matters, but also by ensuring that the concerns of Indigenous communities in the Russian Arctic are heard, and by raising awareness of their precarious human rights situation. Alongside close cooperation with exile organisations, the STP is also supporting Indigenous activists within Russia. In order to avoid exposing partners in Russia to any danger, their identity and the details of the cooperation must be kept secret, as the state even sees cooperation with international organisations like the STP as grounds for severe repression.
