-We can’t wait any longer. “This is our right, these are human rights,” said the head of the National Union of Swedish Sami (SSR), Mate Blindberg.
The Sami people demand the right to decide on hunting and fishing. This involves, among other things, with the granting of permits and the collection of fees. Tourism is also developing in these areas. During a press conference in Stockholm, representatives of the villages of Rann, Serges, Una Tjerosj and Basti, wearing their traditional costumes, signed the necessary legal powers to file the lawsuit.
The Sami people are fighting for their rights. The Swedish government has concerns
In Sweden, the term Sami village means an area (belt) in the Scandinavian mountains extending from the border with Norway to the valley on the Gulf of Bothnia, where the local community has the right to herd reindeer. In such an area, Sami families cooperate with each other.
Lawyer Peter Danowski, representing the complainants, noted that there was already a precedent in the form of a ruling by the Swedish Supreme Court, which in January 2020 granted the community of the village of Jargas the right to manage hunting in their areas. The previous government then established a committee that recommended that the authorities adapt the regulations so that other Sami could have similar rights. However, nothing has been done about it yet.
The center-right moderate coalition party in the current government and the Christian Democrats, as well as the far-right Sweden Democrats, are expected to oppose the committee’s conclusions. Politicians fear other demands from the Sami people.
Chairman of the Sami Organization: It is not about money
In the event of victory, this is not ruled out by the head of the Sami organisation, who admitted in an interview with the People’s Action Party that the Sami should also have the right to decide on the exploitation of their areas, for example in the case of mines. “But it’s not about the money,” Berg said. He regretted that Sweden’s image as a country concerned with human rights was much better abroad than it actually was.
The meeting of the Samis in Stockholm was very emotional. Senior representatives of the village cried as they recalled the wrongs the state had committed against them over the years. The Sami were displaced, their children taken away and forced to learn Swedish. Hydroelectric power stations and other industrial facilities were built in their areas, thanks to which Sweden built its wealth.
The regions of northern Sweden, due to the presence of rare earth elements there, are of great value, especially in the context of the green transition in transport and energy.
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