Reported acts of harassment, surveillance, threats, and intimidation against Ms. Yana Tannagasheva and Mr. Vladislav Tannagashev and their families, representatives of the Shor indigenous peoples from South West Siberia, as reprisals for cooperation with the CERD, were included in the 2018 report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/39/41, para. 63, Annex I, paras. 90–91). In April 2018, as a consequence of the threats, they left Russia with their children. In May 2018, CERD raised their situation with the State party and, in June 2018, special procedures mandate holders raised concerns with the authorities (RUS 11/2018; 151 OTH 34/2018; A/HRC/40/60/Add.1, paras. 512 and 677). On 12 September 2018, the Government responded to the allegations by special procedures and noted a preliminary investigation into the harassment and a criminal case was refused on 28 April 2018 on the basis of “absence of a crime.” On 26 July 2018 this decision was overturned by the supervising procurator, and further investigations were ongoing. On 24 July 2019 the Government provided an update to OHCHR and noted that the investigation was ongoing.

123. Several incidents from previous reporting periods concerning Ms. Yana Tannagasheva and Mr. Vladislav Tannagashev, representatives of the Shor indigenous peoples from Southwest Siberia, were included in the 2018 and 2019 reports of the SecretaryGeneral147 on allegations of harassment, surveillance, threats, and intimidation against them and their relatives for cooperation with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2017. In April 2018, as a consequence of the threats, they left the Russian Federation and relocated to a third country. In May 2018, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination raised their situation with the State party148 and in June 2018 special procedures mandate holders raised concerns with the authorities.149 On 12 September 2018, the Government responded to mandate holders that further investigations were ongoing since July 2018, when a prior decision refusing a preliminary investigation of the case had been overturned.150
124. On 12 and 13 April 2023, during the consideration of the periodic review of the Russian Federation, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination sought clarifications about the status of the investigations into the allegations of previous incidents of reprisals against Ms. Yana Tannagasheva and Mr. Vladislav Tannagashev for cooperation with the Committee in 2017 (CERD/C/SR.2959 para. 28). In its concluding observations of 25 April 2023, the Committee addressed concerns about the lack of information on investigations into the allegations of reprisals against them. In its concluding observations of 1 December 2022, the Human Rights Committee reiterated its previous concerns about allegations of harassment of indigenous human rights defenders,151 raised further allegations received, and urged the State to protect indigenous human rights defenders from all harassment, including in respect to their participation in relevant international forums on indigenous peoples’ rights. (CCPR/C/RUS/CO/8, paras. 40–41 (c)).152