UN Human Rights Committee criticises Finland over Sámi Issue
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The United Nations Human Rights Committee has called on Finland to take rapid action to resolve disputes over land rights of the indigenous Sámi, or Lapp population, and to maintain the cultural identity of the Sámi population.
The committee called on Finland to report within a year on measures that it has taken to rectify the problems.
The Sámi Parliament in Finland feels that the views taken by the human rights committee confirm the statement of the Constitutional Committee of the Finnish Parliament, according to which those with a stake in historical villages in Finnish Lapland have a right to their reindeer-grazing land, hunting grounds and fishing waters. The committee also questioned the present land ownership rights of the state.
According to the Sámi Parliament, the view of the UN Human Rights Committee clarifies the point that the land rights issue is a matter specifically for the Sámi people and the Finnish state, and that the solution specifically applies to the Sámi right to land.
The committee deplores what it sees as violations by Finland of the right to a fair trial. When reindeer herders appealed on behalf of their grazing land, the court ordered them to pay the court costs of the Finnish Forest Administration.
The committee notes that the Sámi are Finland’s indigenous people entitled to autonomy and the right to freely use their natural resources and language in all circumstances.
It also notes that Finland has failed to resolve the land rights issue, which affects the traditional Sámi livelihoods, endangering their culture and identity as a nation.
Helsingin Sanomat
