On Wednesday, Amnesty International released its annual report in which it has reviewed how 155 countries take human rights into account in the previous year.
One of the parts that is raised regarding Sweden, just as the UN did earlier this year, is that the pressure on Sami traditional lands increased from mines, logging and wind power plants.
“At the same time as the limited protection that exists is far from sufficient. In the long run, the survival of the Sami culture is threatened”, it can be read.
Tilda Pontén, who is a lawyer at Amnesty International Sweden, has been involved in writing the report.
– We also note that the Swedish legislation is insufficient to protect the rights of the Sami people. This is what the UN and other international bodies have established time and time again, in fact, that the Swedish legislation is insufficient, she says.
Want to see new legislation
That is why Amnesty now wants to see new legislation in Sweden.
– We want the Swedish state to take its international commitments seriously and strengthen legal protection for Sami rights, including through new legislation that guarantees Sami rights to land but also free and informed prior consent.
The pressure on the Sami traditional lands also comes from the effects of climate change, where it is believed that the Sami must be allowed to be more involved in the future.
– We see that the Sami people and their rights are included as part of the solution in the transformation of society. So that you conduct a dialogue with the Sámi, and make the Sámi people involved and listen to the traditional knowledge that exists among the Sámi, says Pontén.
