Report Uncovers Human Rights Violations
Photo: The Saami Council / Piera Heaika Muotka
Amnesty International’s branches in Norway, Sweden, and Finland have published a new report in collaboration with the Saami Council, revealing human rights violations related to the green transition.
The report launches during the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø on January 29th. It urges the states to respect Sámi rights and allocate resources and initiatives to prevent further human rights violations.
President of the Saami Council Per-Olof Nutti. Photo: The Saami Council / Piera Heaika Muotka
“In Sápmi, we’ve had to learn to be vigilant about the consequences of the green transition,” says Saami Council President Per-Olof Nutti. “We see that states continue to promote the same types of industrial activities and exploitation of nature as before, but now under new labels and justifications. The fundamental challenge remains the same: we are expected to sacrifice our way of life and our own lands and waters to meet the needs of the majority society. The report also makes it clear that these processes are often extremely lengthy and complex, leaving the Sámi with little or no opportunity to influence our own future.”
The report highlights three cases where states have violated Sámi human rights in connection with the green transition: the Fosen case in Norway, the Rönnbäck case in Sweden, and the Lätäseno case in Finland. The Fosen case concerns wind power, a well-known challenge in Sápmi linked to the green transition. The Rönnbäck and Lätäseno cases, on the other hand, involve mining projects aimed at extracting minerals deemed necessary for the green transition. Each case provides insight into how the affected Sámi rights-holders experience and are impacted by these conflicts.
Project worker for “Just Transition in Sápmi” Petra Laiti. Photo: The Saami Council / Kristoffer Hætta
“Many projects currently underway in Sápmi pose the same risks for new human rights violations,” Nutti says. “That’s why it is particularly important for Amnesty to build capacity to collaborate with Sámi stakeholders as well asholding the Nordic states accountable in this area.”
“The report is also highly valuable for Sápmi as a borderless Indigenous society,” says project worker Petra Laiti. “It is crucial to understand what is happening in each state and to demonstrate that the trends are similar across the Nordic countries. This report not only helps highlight our challenges with the states but also strengthens knowledge and awareness within our own people.”
The report is the result of the Saami Council and Amnesty’s collaborative project Just Transition in Sápmi, which aims to amplify Sámi perspectives on the green transition and climate justice as a whole.